Lioness Tales - Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom
by Niche Eenhoorn
Summary: The lioness Jiwe is born into a rather strange and dysfunctional pride. Instead of being taught how to fight and hunt, Jiwe learns how to lure animals in, in order to sell them addictive herbs and plants. An addict herself, Jiwe is not aware that this strange way of life might not be the norm. Will she be strong enough to survive in this harsh environment? Read on, and find out!
1. Rough Start

**Lioness Tales**

By Niche Eenhoorn****

_Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom_

Disclaimer:

- This story is loosely based in the world of the Lion King, so any possible references to The Lion King movie and its characters and situations are property of Walt Disney. I am making absolutely no profit out of this story.  
Any other character you don't recognize from the film belongs to me. If you want to use one of my characters for writing, fanart, etc., just drop me a note!

- The story contains non-explicit scenes of lions and lionesses mating. While the scenes are not extremely descriptive, they might be more suitable for adult/mature audiences.

- Rated M, for mild cursing, some violence, references to drug dealing and substance abuse, references to physical abuse.

- All the "herbs", except for Catnip and "_Upendi Petals_", were made up by myself, and lots of liberties were taken concerning their consumption and effects. They're heavily based on drugs that humans take, but they might not mimic the effects 100%. The credit for the name "_Upendi Petals_" goes to fellow ETPR RPer, Fousafia.

- I am not a native English speaker, so if you find any recurrent grammar issues, please feel free to point them out!

- Special thanks to my dear friend Darkgodakito and my husband Jeroen, for beta-reading the story for me! 3

- Thanks to my dear friend Koai too, for all the inspiration! Without her "Escape to Pride Rock" comic and her roleplay board, Jiwe would have never been born in my mind. :)

I hope this covers everything up, now on to the story! Reviews and constructive criticism are more than welcome. Thanks in advance, and enjoy!

* * *

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 1: Rough Start**

Evening had fallen in the African Savannah. The stars were visible, shining brightly in the dark, cloudless sky. Under the light of the full moon, the lioness Rahisi sat by the edge of a small waterhole, staring intently at her reflection, with a thoughtful expression.

The lioness let out a deep sigh, and then stared down at her belly, where she could already feel life stirring inside her. She knew she would have to tell her Pride sooner or later. It was becoming rather difficult to hide her growing tummy and making up excuses as to why she felt sick often as of late. She was clearly troubled, and seemed to be having a difficult time making her mind about what she should do. But it all came down to one thing: she would need to tell them the truth, and face the consequences.

Afraid of confronting her Pride-members, the lioness began grooming her light-brown pelt, as if postponing the inevitable for just a bit longer.

When Rahisi heard the calls of the rest of the lionesses, announcing that dinner was served, the lioness finally stood up and slowly made her way back to the lair, trembling slightly in anticipation.

Rahisi joined the rest of her Pride-mates, who were waiting for the male leader to finish eating so that they could have their turn.

"Hey, Rahisi. Feeling better already, hun?" Kiongozi, the alpha lioness, asked.

Rahisi only nodded quietly, and then thanked her for allowing her to skip the hunt.

As a reminder of the resolution she had made earlier, Rahisi felt her cubs moving inside her once more. She had to tell Kiongozi now.

"Kiongozi... There's something I need to talk to you about. Have you got some time?"

The alpha lioness nodded and walked a few steps away to ensure them some privacy. She eyed Rahisi with curiosity, wondering what she had to say. Rahisi had always been rather meek and submissive, and seldom spoke her mind, so Kiongozi was intrigued, to say the least.

"What's the matter?" she finally asked, once they were alone.

"It's about me being sick all the time-" Rahisi began to say, but Kiongozi interrupted her.

"Don't be silly, it's not like we can help falling ill, right?" she asked, a friendly and understanding smile spreading across her face.

Rahisi shook her head and stared down at the ground, shuffling the soil under her paws nervously. "Kiongozi, I'm not ill. I- er, I'm with cub," she blurted out, and braced herself for what would come.

Kiongozi's smile promptly faded and was replaced by a deep frown. "You did not..." she started to say, but Rahisi's guilty look gave her _crime_ away.

Kiongozi growled slightly as she started pacing back and forth angrily. "And tell me, just where is he now?"

Rahisi couldn't look her leader in the eye, and simply kept staring at her paws, her trembling now visible to the eye. "He... He left."

Kiongozi cursed out loud. She stopped her pacing and faced Rahisi with a furious expression. "We warned you about him, didn't we? But of course, you didn't listen. You never do!"

"I'm sorry!" Rahisi exclaimed, her eyes now moist with tears. "I really thought he was the one-"

"Yeah, I bet you did," Kiongozi snorted, "Bet he made you believe he was in love. He promised you the moon and the stars, too. And you believed him, like the idiot you are!"

Rahisi closed her eyes tight. She knew that Kiongozi was right. They did warn her about Mchezaji, the lion in question. The rogue lion had a reputation for charming up the ladies and leaving them behind once he got what he wanted from them. But Rahisi had honestly believed his tales of being a changed lion in search for a mate to settle down and start from scratch.

"You know that Nguvu won't tolerate this, right?" Kiongozi asked.

Rahisi nodded quietly, licking away the tears rolling down her face. Nguvu, their male leader, had already warned her about messing around with rogues. He was quite a jealous and possessive lion, and sometimes just catching a lioness looking at another male would send him in a fit of rage. The Pride accepted him and tolerated his jealousy because Nguvu was also an excellent fighter, and extremely capable of keeping them all safe and protected. But Rahisi feared now that she might not count with his protection for long.

"What can I do? Please, Kiongozi, I need your guidance," Rahisi pleaded.

Kiongozi stared at her with a cold expression, which softened slightly at her pleas for help. "Well, the problem is I don't think you have that many options," she said, "Nguvu will either beat you up for cheating until you miscarry, or, in the remote case that he leaves you unharmed and allows you to stay in the Pride, you know what will happen to the cubs once they're born. Are you willing to let that happen?"

Rahisi finally looked up and stared at Kiongozi, her jaw trembling slightly. Rahisi had no idea how she herself felt about these cubs. She had been angry at first, thinking she despised them. The thought of abandoning them somewhere even crossed her mind. But as the cubs grew and Rahisi began feeling their movement, she realized that she felt much different now. She was eager to see them, to nurse them, and just try a hand a being a mother. However, without the support of the Pride, Rahisi feared her cubs would be doomed, either way. But she had to at least make an effort and try.

After a moment of pondering, Rahisi admitted, "I don't want him to hurt me, or kill my cubs. I'm so scared, I don't know what to do..."

"Then here's what you have to do, Rahisi," Kiongozi replied firmly, "You have to leave, before he finds out. Go away, as far as your legs can carry you. Cross the river, if you must. In the meantime, I'll try to buy you some more time, so that he doesn't go after you. I'm afraid that's all I can do for you."

_So, it comes down to this,_ Rahisi thought. Leaving, and raising her cubs on her own. With some luck, she could find a group that would accept her, but her cubs would be in constant danger. She let out a deep sigh and looked at Kiongozi sadly.

"So this is it, then? We say goodbye and we never meet again?"

Kiongozi nodded, and looked away. "Don't look at me like that. You brought this upon yourself, you know."

"I already feel terrible about it, you don't need to rub it in," Rahisi mumbled. "Anyway... Will you say goodbye to the other lionesses for me?"

Kiongozi gave her a little smile. "Of course I will. You take care, and good luck out there."

The two lionesses head-butted each other one last time, and parted ways. The last thing Rahisi saw was Kiongozi walking away with her head and tail drooping low. She was a stern lioness, and would never sugar-coat her opinion, but despite all that, she was a respected leader. Rahisi could tell that Kiongozi was sad to see a pride-mate leave this way, whatever the reason may be.

Kiongozi in turn didn't look back, forcing herself to keep calm and not let any tears flow. She returned to the lair and announced that she had allowed Rahisi to take some time off in solitude until she recovered from her illness. Nguvu didn't seem to find any issues with that, and it was until several days later that he himself went to search for her to see how she was doing, only to find out she had disappeared.

When he didn't find her in the territory, Nguvu immediately assumed that she had ran off with the rogue lion. His rage was terrible. He was in such a sour mood that Kiongozi was actually glad that Rahisi had ran away after all. She would have ended up dead or terribly wounded for sure.

Kiongozi then summoned the other lionesses and in confidence she explained to them what had really happened, and how Rahisi had meant to say goodbye to them all, but hadn't had time to do it. The lionesses, while shocked, all had an _I told you so_ expression, having warned Rahisi about the rogue lion many times. They all agreed on one thing, fleeing had been the best decision Rahisi could have made.

Nguvu tried searching for her, not willing to leave her crime unpunished, but as suggested by Kiongozi, Rahisi had crossed the river, where her trail had vanished for good.

* * *

Rahisi wandered on her own for several days, managing to catch small prey to feed on. As she got heavier, hunting became harder, and in the end she had to resort to catching small rodents and sometimes eating a bit of carrion to get by.

She felt very lonely, and missed her pride-sisters terribly. At nights she longed for a warm body to lean against, and during the day she missed their conversations. Rahisi even resorted to talking to herself, in an attempt to drown the oppressing silence around her.

Despite being rather meek, Rahisi quite enjoyed the company of the Pride and would love to listen to their chats, even if she didn't participate often. They were all much dominant than she was, and Rahisi was content with letting them do all the talking. She never thought she would be missing all their angry moping after a hunt gone wrong, or their jokes and their taunts, and even their rants against her _beloved_ Mchezaji.

One hot and sunny morning, as Rahisi searched for food, the contractions finally started. Rahisi could tell that the cubs were coming now, so she looked for a shaded and secluded spot to bring her babies into the world, and waited for nature to take its course.

Not long after, Rahisi was cuddling three little cubs close to her chest, two males and a female. With Mchezaji gone, Rahisi could not follow on the tradition of having the males named by the father. So it was up to Rahisi to name all three of them. She decided she would call the males Bahari and Maji, and the female would be named Jiwe.

They all seemed to be healthy and were eating well. Rahisi looked at them, as strange feelings bubbled inside her. On one hand, she was glad that she had fled and kept the babies safe, and on the other hand, they were all a reminder of how she had been lied to and used by Mchezaji. This caused her immense pain, and put a damper in the whole motherhood experience, and just a few days after birth, Rahisi became very depressed.

She would spend a lot of time crying and feeling sorry for herself, cursing her luck. Sometimes she couldn't even be bothered to get up and hunt. But whether she liked it or not, she had to take care of herself, now with three babies that depended on her for survival. That thought seemed to fuel Rahisi's strength and forced her to try and move on, if not for her sake, for the sake of her cubs.

With nobody to babysit, Rahisi was forced to stay close to the den to keep an eye on the cubs, but unfortunately there was not much game around. She would have to travel further south to find the herds, only she didn't feel it was safe leaving the babies alone for that long. Instead, Rahisi decided to relocate their den. She found a good hiding spot closer to where she would be able to hunt properly, and one by one she started moving the cubs to their new den.

Rahisi was faced with a hard decision: which cub to move first. This would mean leaving the other two exposed for a while. But the decision was quickly made for her, as one of the cubs crawled towards her, mewing happily in greeting.

Rahisi looked down at the cub and smiled. It was Jiwe. She had been the first one to open her eyes, and always seemed very happy to see her mother back, greeting her enthusiastically even after just a short absence. Rahisi bent over and picked up Jiwe gently, carrying her by the scruff of her neck. She hummed a tune for the cub as she walked to the new den. Jiwe seemed to be enjoying herself, and looked around while trying to identify all the new scents flooding her tiny nose.

Rahisi placed Jiwe down and made sure she was well hidden before returning for the other two cubs. "Now, you keep quiet little one, and I'll be right back."

Jiwe curled up and stayed put, falling asleep not long after.

Rahisi then decided to fetch Bahari first, leaving Maji, the runt, as last. The lioness was so determined to get back to the new lair as fast as possible, that she became careless and didn't notice that there was a stray wild-dog hiding nearby. The dog had spotted Rahisi's pattern, and she knew that the lioness was about to leave the den unattended for a while.

Once Rahisi left with Bahari in her muzzle, the wild dog made her move, finding helpless Maji fast asleep, without a worry in the world.

The wild dog made sure that her kill was swift and quick, little Maji didn't even wake up when it happened. The wild dog whispered, "I'm sorry..." and ran away with the dead cub in her mouth, which she promptly gave to her own pup so it could feed.

Rahisi returned later to pick up the third cub, and felt her heart sink to the ground when she found the den deserted. Judging from the blood spilled on the ground, and the scents around the area, another predator had snatched Maji away. Rahisi tried looking around, calling for him, in hopes that she could find the cub still alive, but it was no use. She made her way back to the new den with a very heavy heart. She was glad to have found a new hiding place, otherwise her three cubs would have all perished for sure.

Having one of her cubs killed took a toll on Rahisi's already down mood, and as such, her hunting abilities started to be affected as well. She became somewhat paranoid, and kept running back and forth from the hunting grounds and to the den, just to check on the cubs, and as a result, she rarely brought anything down. The small, meager meals that she managed to catch were not enough to keep up her milk production as plentiful as before, and the cubs began suffering from it.

Jiwe, who was faster than Bahari, always got to Rahisi first, and would drink most of her milk, leaving little left for her brother. Bahari, still too young to voice his complaints, could do nothing but whine and cry, leaving Rahisi puzzled as to what was bothering him. She was unaware that even though he was suckling just fine, he was not receiving enough food in return.

Rahisi suspected that he might be falling ill, especially when she woke up one morning to find Bahari very lethargic. She gave him a gentle push with her nose, and realized the cub felt very cold to the touch. She embraced him close to her chest, offering breakfast to him, but Bahari didn't have any strength to suckle anymore.

The lioness whispered soft words of comfort, telling the cub to be strong and hold on until the illness was over, but clueless as to what was the real problem, Rahisi simply allowed Jiwe to nurse as usual, instead of attempting to share the milk between the two cubs.

Bahari, in one last attempt at trying to eat, raised his head and looked for Rahisi's teats, but Jiwe had already drank all the milk available, and the cub let his head fall back down on his paws, and let out a deep sigh.

Rahisi looked at Bahari sadly, wishing she knew what was wrong so that she could help him. She groomed him tenderly, but after a while, she felt Bahari's body going limp in her paws. Rahisi assumed that the cub had fallen asleep, but she quickly noticed that he had also stopped breathing.

"Please, talk to me, come on, wake up!" Rahisi said, licking the cub thoroughly, hoping to bring him back to life, but it was no use. The cub had succumbed to starvation, and Rahisi, feeling devastated, let out a series of loud, mournful roars.

"What have I done to deserve all this?" she screamed as tears rolled down her face. "I just slept with the lion I loved, for crying out loud! Do I really deserve this punishment?"

But nobody answered her questions, and Rahisi continued crying in silence, cuddling Bahari until all his body heat had disappeared. When she calmed down, Rahisi decided she couldn't stick around. The smell of decay would eventually attract other predators, so she knew she had to look for another den. The lioness picked up the remaining cub in her muzzle, and slowly walked away from the painful sight of her lifeless son.

During the days that follow, Rahisi was having great trouble finding the strength to go out and hunt. She was determined to keep Jiwe alive, but on the other hand, the loss of her cubs kept weighing her down. She had clearly lost a lot of weight, and Jiwe herself also seemed smaller for her age, and slightly malnourished.

One evening, at sundown, Rahisi was in a terrible mood after having let a zebra escape. She was about to flop down in exhaustion, when she heard someone approaching. She quickly crouched and hid between the tall grasses, keeping very still, wondering if she would manage to make a kill today after all.

But her hopes were crushed at the sight of the strangers approaching. They were two male lions, both rather well fed and strong. Rahisi folded her ears backwards and tried to suppress a snarl. She realized in alarm that they were heading straight to the place where Jiwe was currently hiding.

Rahisi knew she was no match for these two, but fearing for Jiwe's safety, she came out from her hiding spot and tried to distract them. She bared her teeth and let out a deep, loud growl.

The two lions heard it, as well as the grass rustling. They both turned to face Rahisi, and looked at her with curiosity. They gave her a warm smile, despite her aggressive demeanour.

"Hi there, don't be afraid," a large lion with a dark-brown mane and a tuft on his chin said, "We're not going to hurt you. We just want to know why you've entered our territory."

Rahisi didn't lower her guard and replied, "I was just searching for food. I was so focused on it that I didn't notice your marks, I'm sorry..." Rahisi was lying, she knew she was trespassing all right, but the sight of the zebra herd, so close by, made her ignore the border marks.

His companion, a smaller, dark-pelted lion with a black mane, nodded calmly and told her, "I get it. You do look like you could use a good meal, heh, no offence. Why don't you join us for dinner?"

Rahisi perked up her ears, and her mouth began to water at the thought of food. She was weary about trusting these strangers, after what Mchezaji had done to her, but her stomach was urging her to accept their invitation.

"I... I can't... Sorry for trespassing, I'll just leave... Thanks anyway."

"Wait, wait!" the bigger lion said, "What's the problem? We don't mean you any harm. We would have attacked you already if we wanted to as soon as you crossed the borders."

Rahisi sighed deeply and replied softly, "The thing is, I'm not alone. I have a cub."

The two lions laughed brightly. "Oh, come on, that's not a problem," the bigger lion said, "Bring it along. Once you two are well-fed and rested, you can continue your journey. What do you say?"

Rahisi pondered for a moment. Still unsure whether she was taking the right decision, she nodded at them and went to fetch Jiwe, who was demanding to be fed.

Rahisi followed the two lions back to their lair, and let out a sigh of relief when they guided her to their recent kill, a fresh impala.

"Eat as much as you want, we've already had our share," one of the lions said.

Seeing that they both went to sit down further away, and didn't show any threatening signs, Rahisi began nibbling at the carcass. She quickly lost herself in the meal and began eating ravenously, until she felt as if her tummy was about to explode.

When she couldn't have one bite more, Rahisi approached the two lions and thanked them for their hospitality.

"I'm very sorry, I didn't catch your names..." she asked hesitantly.

"I'm Kiume," the darker lion said.

"And I'm Shukrani, but everyone calls me Shuk," the one with the tufted chin replied, "How about you?"

Rahisi smiled for the first time since she met them, and answered, "I'm Rahisi, and my baby girl is Jiwe."

"Nice to meet you both, dear," Shukrani said, "How about you take a nice nap and we'll see how you feel in the morning. If you're still tired, you're welcome to stay as long as you need."

Rahisi nodded gratefully. "Won't your Pride mind?"

Shukrani let out a deep chuckle. "There's no Pride, dear, it's just the two of us. So don't worry about any jealous females, you're safe here."

Rahisi laughed, and felt relieved. The last thing she needed was a jealous lioness thinking she'd been sleeping around with her mates.

"I think I'll follow your advice and go get some sleep, thanks again for everything," Rahisi said, and bid the two lions good night.

They watched as Rahisi made herself comfortable next to a tree, and began nursing Jiwe before falling asleep.

After a brief moment of silence, Shukrani asked in a hushed voice, "What do you think? She seemed like a lousy hunter to me..."

Kiume shrugged, "Dunno... She was dead tired and hungry, but let's see how it goes once she's got her strength back. I just hope she'll be better than the last one!"

"Oh, yeah! Hell, even a blind hippo could hunt better than that excuse for a lioness," Shukrani added, snorting slightly, "But yeah, we'll wait and see. If this one proves to be useless too... Well."

The lion said nothing more, he only let out a mean chuckle, which was echoed by Kiume. They both remained silent after that, and fell asleep too not long after.

* * *

_**Author's note:**_ I'll be working on character sheets for this story too! You can already find Rahisi's character sheet available on my Deviantart page: nichers . deviantart . com (remove the spaces between the dots!)


	2. The Lions' True Colors

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 2: The Lions' True Colors**

Rahisi slept soundly that night. She had woken up a few times, only to find either Kiume or Shukrani keeping guard nearby. So, feeling reassured that the area was still safe, the lioness could finally catch up on some much needed sleep.

Jiwe in turn didn't leave her mother's side, and slept along quietly, waking up only to nurse and to sleep once more.

Rahisi had all the intention to leave the day after, but Kiume and Shukrani insisted that she stayed a bit longer. She had gone through a lot and it would be wise if she recovered all her energy before engaging in her journey again.

Rahisi was rather grateful for their hospitality, and accepted their invitation to stay a bit longer.

"I'd like to do something in return for all your help," Rahisi told them a few days later. "Perhaps I could try hunting something for all of us? Knowing that Jiwe is safe here will allow me to focus on the hunt once again. I don't need to worry about her getting hurt anymore."

Shukrani and Kiume glanced at each other quickly and smiled.

"All right, if you insist!" Kiume said, "Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?"

Rahisi shook her head. "No, please, just keep an eye on Jiwe. I'm sure that with that worry off my mind, I'll do a much better job at hunting. I was quite a good huntress for my Pride, before I had to leave and all this mess happened. I just need to get into things again..."

The two male lions nodded and didn't ask her any questions, or insist in tagging along.

"Just roar for us if you need help, okay? And don't worry about your kiddo, she's in safe paws," Shukrani said. He then turned around and walked away to look for some shade. Kiume followed after waving the lioness good-bye.

Rahisi in turn went to give Jiwe a kiss, and left to find food, feeling in rather high spirits for a change.

Kiume and Shukrani seemed content to see that Rahisi was so willing and eager to please. They didn't even have to ask her to find food for them.

"Well, that went well... I never expected she'd come up with the idea herself," Shukrani told his companion, after settling down by the shadow of a nearby tree. He sharpened his long claws against a rock as he spoke, looking thoughtful.

"Perhaps we'll need to play our cards differently with this one," Kiume said, staring at the retreating form of Rahisi in the distance, "She said something back there, something about belonging to a Pride. This girl's no loner. She probably never hunted alone before, and that's why she's been doing such a sorry job at it. Not to mention having to take care of a cub on her own too. I tell you, she must be desperate for some company."

Shukrani listened to his friend intently, and then glanced at him. "So what are you saying?"

Kiume shifted position as he shrugged slightly. "I don't know, maybe we won't need to force her to stay with us, not yet at least. Think about it, if she's got nowhere to go, maybe _we_ can become her Pride. She and that cub of hers will probably be so grateful that a couple of total strangers offered them a hand, that they will do just about anything we ask them. It can come in handy, you know."

Shukrani chuckled, while nodding at Kiume in agreement. "You got a point. Perhaps we can have a lioness on our side, for a change, willing to spend time with us rather than being forced to. Besides, if she gets all catty in the future, that cub of hers gives us huge leverage."

Kiume agreed. "Speaking of the devil," he said, and began sniffing the air, detecting the scent of little Jiwe, crawling nearby.

Kiume and Shukrani watched her distractedly for a short while. The small cub had a brown pelt, though somewhat lighter than her mother's, and she sported a wild, little tuft at the top of her head. She had very pretty light-blue eyes, which she got from Rahisi. Jiwe's legs weren't very coordinated yet, and she stumbled around, falling to the ground and rolling around playfully.

"Heh, looks like someone's been hitting the fermented fruit juice," Shukrani joked.

"Hey, Jiwe, come back here," Kiume called, seeing that Jiwe was heading on their opposite direction.

The cub raised her head at the mention of her name. Having no reason to distrust these two lions, she turned around and toddled towards them, with a grin on her face. She couldn't speak yet, so she only mew'd noisily at the two of them, while her mind tried to make sense of things. These two guys kind of looked like her mother, but there was something different about them. They smelled odd. And they had fluff around their heads. Jiwe felt so intrigued, that she approached even more, to take a closer look.

Kiume and Shukrani stared at her, and allowed Jiwe to explore them and the area freely. They weren't acting hostile, on the contrary. They knew that gaining the cub's trust would be an important move for the plans they had in mind.

Jiwe got tired from her exploring adventure not long after, and she lay down next to Shukrani, for a well-deserved nap.

The two male lions in the meantime continued discussing things Jiwe couldn't make any sense of just yet. Jiwe was yet too young to understand that these two were not an ordinary pair. Kiume and Shukrani were actually business partners, a business centered on dealing forbidden substances. The two lions controlled the traffic of forbidden herbs and plants in the area.

They would ensure that the plants didn't grow out there in the wild for just anyone to find. Instead, Kiume and Shukrani controlled their growth in remote areas, which were heavily protected by a strong army of rhinos and elephants. It was practically impossible for an addicted animal to come across a forbidden plant in the wild. If they wanted to feed their addiction, they would need to pay the price.

The price varied depending on the circumstances. During dry seasons, precious water was a means of payment. During the rainy periods, a nice slab of meat would do fine. Herbs in exchange for free passage within territories was also a popular transaction. The two lions also liked to trade herbs for fermented fruit juice. The production of this precious and inebriating liquid was handled by a group of primates further south, and they were always keen on making business with Kiume and Shukrani.

Kiume and Shukrani didn't work alone, though. They had a whole range of _employees_ under their command. Some animals got to do all sorts of odd jobs in exchange for herbs to feed their addictions. Others were simply pushed into submission, and would carry out whatever deed Kiume and Shukrani would give them, out of fear for their life, or the life of their loved ones.

While the two lions weren't particularly violent, everyone knew that they were never alone, and a couple of strong bodyguards, mainly herb-addicted rhinos, would always linger nearby. They wouldn't hesitate to kill someone if they were ordered to do so, in exchange for more herbs.

But neither Rahisi nor Jiwe had discovered any of this yet, and the two lions hoped to keep it that way for now.

"Oh, by the way, I got a message from Kuwasi earlier today," Kiume said, "The elephants are on schedule with the cargo. They should arrive tomorrow evening."

Shukrani nodded in acknowledgement, and continued sharpening his nails on the rock. Kuwasi was a vulture, yet another one of their employees. He worked for them by passing messages around as well as keeping an eye on things from above.

They continued discussing work-related issues, and shortly after, they spotted Rahisi in the distance. She was holding something in her mouth.

"Mmm, looks like lunch is served. I'm liking her better and better," Shukrani said, standing up and stretching his legs, grunting slightly.

Kiume prodded Jiwe with his paw, trying to awaken her. "Hey, wake up. Your mother's back."

Jiwe finally opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of Rahisi. She toddled towards her and asked for milk.

Rahisi deposited the body of a zebra in front of the two lions, and immediately lay down on her side to allow Jiwe to nurse.

"Nice catch, Rahisi! This looks delicious," Kiume told her, licking his chops in anticipation.

Shukrani looked at her before digging in, and said, "Definitely! Best meal we've had in ages, good job! You know, Rahisi... I think we could make a good team! I mean, we can use a good huntress around, and I'm sure you and your baby wouldn't mind living under our protection. Think about it, all right? If there's nowhere else you need to go, you're welcome to stick around with us."

Rahisi blinked a couple of times, and a smile spread across her face. She thought it would be a lot harder to join a group of lions. Granted, this was not a Pride, but there was no rule saying she couldn't simply join a couple of rogues.

The lioness watched them eat while nursing Jiwe, looking very thoughtful. Rahisi was also charmed by their attitude. They were polite, and didn't seem like they were trying to push themselves on her, much like Mchezaji had done. Rahisi could now understand why her Pride-sisters had been so insistent about him and his bad intentions. She could now clearly tell the difference between a lion who wanted to help, and one trying to take advantage of her. Or so she thought.

When the two males were done eating, Rahisi walked closer and told them, "Um... If I were to stay, that means we would become some sort of Pride, right? Do you guys like the idea?"

Kiume and Shukrani couldn't care less, but they played along, with the intention of keeping her enthusiastic. Shukrani knew that a happy lioness was usually a better, more focused huntress.

He looked at her and feigned a surprised expression. "You know... You're right! Does that mean you're staying?"

Rahisi nodded. "As long as Jiwe will remain unharmed, of course."

"Oh, that goes without saying. We promised you both protection, right? Besides, our group is already small as it is, there's no need to get rid of any of its members," Shukrani replied reassuringly.

Kiume added, "Since it was your idea, why don't you do the honors and pick up a name for our little Pride?"

Rahisi smiled once more, placing all her trust in them. "Let's see... how about the Paka Pride?"

"Paka Pride it is," Shukrani replied.

The three lions roared the name out loud, swearing allegiance to each other. Jiwe looked up at the sound of their pledge and joined in playfully, uttering her first little roars. They didn't sound like much, but when Rahisi heard her, she felt her eyes filling up with tears. Life was finally looking up for them.

* * *

Several weeks went by and Rahisi assumed her role of huntress without any question. She enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, and always felt very proud when she had a good meal to present to the two leaders. But this good mood was not meant to last, and the ghost of the loneliness she experienced earlier began rearing its ugly head again.

The lioness realized that she found both Kiume and Shukrani quite attractive. But so far neither male had expressed any romantic interest in her, nor any desire of her becoming their mate. The two lions kept a respectful distance and didn't seem to try and seek much contact with her. While this attitude had appealed Rahisi in the beginning, she started feeling lonely after a while. She felt as if all she was good for was to bring food in, but her company wasn't appreciated. Kiume and Shukrani preferred to discuss business matters without Rahisi listening in, and since they spend most of their time working, they often left Rahisi on her own.

Since Rahisi had no idea what was really going on, she just assumed that they found her ugly and uninteresting. These thoughts brought Rahisi down, and her hunting performance began suffering again. Shukrani had already warned Kiume that a sad lioness was a crappy huntress, so after the third failed attempt at bringing in some food, Shukrani finally approached Rahisi and invited her for a talk.

"What's the matter? Are you not feeling well?" he asked. He didn't seem concerned, merely curious.

Rahisi sighed and mumbled, "I'm fine... I guess I'm just missing my pride-sisters again. I'm just... kinda lonely I suppose..."

I don't have time for this, Shukrani thought, suppressing an angry sigh. He bit his lip and said, "Well, if you're no longer happy here, you're more than welcome to return to your old Pride. It's not like we're holding you hostage."

Rahisi looked a bit taken aback by his response and shook her head. "No... No, I didn't mean it that way, I'm very grateful for you having taken us in. It's just... Well, I had the feeling that I sometimes get in your way and-"

"You were doing a great job, what are you talking about?" he interrupted, trying to keep calm.

Rahisi looked away, and finally ventured to voice her concerns to him. "I just feel like you guys don't enjoy my company. You always seem to go very quiet if I decide to join you, as if you were discussing something you don't want me to hear. I don't mind if you've got private business, but when it happens all the time... It just makes me feel a bit unwanted."

Shukrani listened to her, taking her words in. So she felt lonely and unwanted. That was a new scenario. All lionesses before Rahisi would have paid to be left alone. But here she was, demanding more of their attention. Shukrani couldn't help but think that Kiume had been right. By treating Rahisi differently, they were getting from her all that they had to force out from the previous lionesses.

Shukrani sat closer to the lioness and said, "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to hurt your feelings. We were just discussing business and we thought you wouldn't be interested. We didn't want to scare you away with all the boring talk. But you're welcome to join us whenever you want. If you're okay with it, perhaps we could share a grooming session?" he added, giving her a charming grin.

Rahisi perked up her ears with enthusiasm. She hadn't been groomed by someone else in quite a while, and she was looking forward to the experience.

Shukrani led her back to where Kiume was and told him, "Hey, Rahisi here says she's okay with a mutual grooming session. You up for it, pal?"

Kiume gave him a little knowing smile, and then rolled over on the grass towards Rahisi. "Mmm. I call dibs."

Rahisi groomed them both thoroughly, while the two lions enjoyed themselves. Every now and then an animal would try to approach them for business-related queries, but the lions would send them away with a warning glare and growl. The lioness didn't suspect anything strange, she merely thought they didn't want their grooming to be disturbed.

Jiwe, who was already much more coordinated on her feet, climbed up on Rahisi's back and watched her mother at work with curiosity. Rahisi was done with Kiume and she had moved on to Shukrani, who had closed his eyes and let out a few sighs of pleasure.

Jiwe then began mimicking her mother and licked Rahisi's head a couple of times, before quickly losing interest and running away to play with a loose leaf shifting in the breeze.

"Don't go too far, Jiwe," Rahisi warned between licks.

Shukrani shifted position and exclaimed, "You're a good groomer, Rahisi."

The lioness blushed. "I've always enjoyed it. I love being groomed too," she said, hoping they would get the hint.

As if on cue, the two lions began grooming Rahisi at the same time, making her feel a bit flustered. It was a strange experience at first, since the males she encountered earlier in her life weren't much into grooming others. She wasn't in season, but there was something rather exciting about being groomed by these two. Rahisi was tense at first, but she eventually let go of her inhibitions, and allowed herself to relax.

"Mmmmm, I'd do anything to feel like this all the time," she muttered happily, stretching herself.

The male lions exchanged a quick glance, and nodded curtly at each other, without Rahisi noticing.

"Really? Well, there are ways, you know," Shukrani said nonchalantly.

Rahisi sat up straight and looked at him, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"There are some great herbal remedies that are quite helpful. If you're ever feeling stressed or sad or lonely, but you don't have a grooming companion, a few herbs will do the trick and pep you up in a jiffy."

Rahisi tilted her head. "Really? I've never heard about that before. Our Pride never resorted to any herbal remedies. Aren't they harmful?" she asked, feeling very curious.

Shukrani chuckled and replied, "Well, of course some are! You can't go around eating any plant you see, you know. But the herbs we know are not lethal."

Rahisi stared down at her paws and said, "I did feel rather lonely before Shuk went and talked to me... But this grooming session has helped a lot. I don't think I need any remedies after this!"

"Well, just keep it in mind," Shukrani said, and lay down on his side for a nap.

Kiume stood up and stretched himself. "I'm going for a walk," he told Rahisi, "Will you stay here with Shuk and Jiwe?"

Rahisi, still feeling very lazy and relaxed, decided to stay behind. Kiume smiled and left. However, he wasn't really going for a walk, he was actually going to meet the animals that had tried to talk to them earlier. It was time to get back to work.

* * *

Kiume and Shukrani were so busy the upcoming weeks, that Rahisi began feeling lonely again. They never had time for her, and they both seemed moody for no apparent reason. She had been hunting food again with no problems, so that couldn't be the issue. When she confronted them about it, they told her to mind her own business, in less harsh words, of course, but it all came down to that.

What the lioness didn't know is that they were having work-related issues, apparently one of their elephants was ambushed and the herb cargo got stolen. This had put a damper in both lions' mood, and they were spending most of the time trying to track down the culprit.

When Rahisi suggested another session of relaxation, both males expressed that they didn't have time to relax at the moment.

Rahisi had already noticed that they were very busy lions and seemed to have contacts everywhere. Not one day went by without someone looking for them and asking for a word. When Rahisi's curiosity finally gave in, she asked them what was going on. They both simply claimed that they were respected by everyone and people valued their advice.

Rahisi gave them a little smile. "Heh, like Kings, of some sort..."

The male lions laughed at her remark. "Exactly like that." Only the kingdom they ruled over was the underground one.

"Look, I'm sorry that we haven't had much time to sit back and unwind lately," Kiume told her, "There's lots of issues we have to help with and you'll have to entertain yourself for a while, I'm afraid."

Rahisi sighed, and nodded, looking defeated. "Maybe you guys should try that relaxing herbal remedy you talked about a while ago."

Shukrani rolled his eyes slightly, but said as sweetly as he could muster, "All joking aside, why don't you try it yourself? It'll make you feel great. You won't even mind our absence as much, and you'll feel very well-rested afterwards."

Rahisi nodded. "All right, only if you're a hundred percent sure it's not harmful!"

Shukrani disappeared for a short moment, and returned holding a rolled up leaf in his mouth. He placed it by Rahisi's feet.

The lioness looked a bit shocked by how fast he was able to produce the herbs in question. "Wow, did you have them in stock already?"

Shukrani chuckled. "Yeah, I went to find some after you were so depressed a while ago. I wanted to help somehow, and I figured they could come in handy. So I kept some around."

Rahisi grinned, and accepted his token of help, completely oblivious to the real intentions of the two lions. "So, what do I do?"

"Just chew on that rolled leaf and its contents," Shukrani instructed, "They're not very tasty, but you can wash the taste away with some water. That's all, look for a nice place to lie down and rest well! Kiume and I still have a lot of things to sort out, so we'll catch up with you later."

Rahisi picked up the rolled leaf in her mouth, and walked away to where Jiwe was playing.

"Mommy is going to take a nap, Jiwe. Wanna join, sweetie?" she called her over, patting her side invitingly.

"Okay!" Jiwe replied, although she didn't look sleepy at all.

Rahisi finally chewed on that leaf, and swallowed its contents. The taste was unpleasant and bitter, but she didn't bother drinking water to wash it down. She just curled up into a comfortable position, and waited for the remedy to take effect. Rahisi began feeling drowsy not long after, and she fell in a very deep sleep. She never noticed Jiwe standing up and wandering away from her.

When she finally woke up again, it was night time already. She had no idea how many hours she'd slept, nor where Jiwe was. But instead of reacting with fright or anxiety, Rahisi simply stretched herself, feeling very calm and content. She stood up and wandered the area, and eventually found Jiwe sitting on the branches of a small tree

"What in the world are you doing up there?" Rahisi drawled, failing to notice the look of fright in the cub's face.

Jiwe's expression brightened up slightly at the sight of her mother. She tried climbing down as best as she could, only to slip and fall on her butt in the end.

Rahisi didn't laugh, but she also did nothing to comfort Jiwe, feeling emotionally detached at the moment. She turned around and walked away, barely even looking at Jiwe when the cub addressed her.

"Mom! While you were asleep, Kiume and Shuk killed a whole buncha baboons! I saw 'em!"

Rahisi shrugged. "I kill animals all the time, what's the big deal?"

Jiwe seemed to ponder this, as if it were a serious question. "Well... When you kill animals, it's 'cause you need to eat, right? But Shuk and Kiume didn't eat the baboons! They beat them up, telling them how they shouldn't have messed around with their cargo, and then asked a coupla hyenas to finish them off! Mom, I... I dunno but I think they were still alive when it happened... They were still screaming and all..."

Rahisi didn't seem fazed that her little cub might have been witness to a brutal murder. The herbs had done their job well, rendering Rahisi calm, but otherwise emotionless. Her need for constant company was starting to get in Kiume and Shukrani's nerves, and while they had initially agreed not to make a herb-addict out of this lioness, just like they had done with all the others, in the end they both decided that Rahisi was a bit too clingy for their taste, and resorted to feed her a mind-altering substance after all. Only this time, Rahisi, in her ignorance, took it willingly. The previous lionesses had had the herbs forced down her throats.

"Mom? You okay?" Jiwe asked, wondering why Rahisi was acting so strange. She had a lot of questions concerning what she had just witnessed, but Rahisi was not in the mood to talk, for a change.

"I'm fine, Jiwe. Now stop yapping for a while and let me enjoy the silence, will you?"

Jiwe bit her lip, holding herself back from asking more questions. All of a sudden, nothing made much sense anymore, starting with her mom's strange behaviour. The cub decided to drop the issue, and just went back to her usual sleeping spot. She settled down and looked at Rahisi.

"I'm a bit hungry, mom. Can you please give me some milk?" she asked politely.

Jiwe watched confused as Rahisi kept on walking without even glancing back at her.


	3. Going Downhill

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 3: Going Downhill**

A few weeks had passed since the stolen cargo incident. Having taken care of the culprit and recovered all the stolen herbs, Kiume and Shukrani resumed doing business as usual. They received several payments in meat, which meant that Rahisi could take some time off from hunting.

They told Rahisi that the meat they had received was just a token of gratitude from one of the animals they had helped earlier. She still didn't suspect anything strange, and accepted their explanation without questions.

Jiwe never mentioned the baboon incident again after the day Rahisi had taken herbs for the first time. She figured that she had upset her mom somehow, and decided not to bring it up again. Since Rahisi seemed to have gone back to normal the morning after, Jiwe just shrugged it off as a one-time incident.

Rahisi herself had only a vague recollection of what had happened that evening. She was sure that her whole interaction with Jiwe had been nothing but a dream. Since Jiwe never spoke of the incident in question, Rahisi never talked about her strange behaviour, nor apologized to Jiwe for not paying attention to her, or not feeding her on time.

Deep in the back of her mind, Rahisi wished again for another blissful nap like the one she had with the herbal remedy. Since she didn't have to hunt for now, she thought it would be a great opportunity to just relax and unwind. The lioness had already gotten used to the fact that Kiume and Shukrani weren't very big on social interaction with her, unlike her former pride-sisters. It must be a male-thing, she thought sadly. So, the idea of relaxing by means of the herbs seemed more and more appealing by the minute.

Thinking that there was no harm in a well-deserved special nap, Rahisi approached the two lions one afternoon and sat next to them with the intention to ask for the remedy again.

Jiwe followed her not far behind, attempting to stalk her mother. The cub then tried to hide behind a rock, but her location was easily disclosed, thanks to her tail and ears sticking out visibly. Jiwe simply waited for Rahisi to be on the move again to keep stalking, and in the meantime, she half-listened in to the adults' conversation.

Kiume and Shukrani, aware of the cub's presence, simply chuckled at her lousy attempt at hiding.

"Hey there, you two, everything all right?" Rahisi asked the two lions as she made herself comfortable.

"Couldn't be better, dear. You? Enjoying your time off?" Shukrani answered, looking content. Whatever business he had done earlier today, had left him in a very good mood.

"Actually... I was feeling kind of bored," Rahisi admitted, "Since I got nothing else to do, I was hoping you'd still have some of that herbal remedy you gave me the other day..."

The two lions exchanged a quick glance. The two of them had already gone through a lengthy discussion as to what plans they had for Rahisi in the future. Though as not as avidly as before, the lioness continued to seek their attention, and it was becoming harder and harder to keep things hidden from her.

Shukrani hadn't been sure which approach to take at first. They could try to distract her and keep her content through a romantic proposal, but both lions agreed that it would only make things worse eventually. She'd probably demand more time together, and perhaps even request to mate, and act all offended if they didn't have the time or the mind for that. No, if there was going to be any mating involved, it would be on their own terms, and not Rahisi's.

Kiume suggested that since Rahisi was not familiar with any of the herbs they dealt with, they could stick to their old method of giving her a physical dependency, only this time, they would do so by making the lioness believe that these were simple plant-remedies that animals use all the time. This friendlier approach would save them the hassle of having to keep Rahisi hostage in a cave somewhere, and force-feeding the herbs to her instead. Besides, having her roaming free meant she could still go find food whenever no meat-payments were done.

Once Rahisi becomes addicted to the herbs, Kiume and Shukrani would finally drop the friendly act, letting her in on their little secret. They would then start demanding her to work in exchange for her next fix and to ensure Jiwe's protection.

Shukrani had agreed with this approach, and had been prepared since then for the next time Rahisi asked for a herbal remedy once more.

"No, sorry, I haven't come across those particular herbs anymore," Shukrani easily lied to her.

"Oh," she replied, visibly disappointed, "That's too bad."

Kiume waited a considerable amount of time and he said, "I do have a different plant that I could offer you, only I'm not sure that you're going to like it, since it's just a bit stronger than the previous remedy."

Rahisi perked up her ears with curiosity. "Oh? You mean I'll sleep for longer or something?"

Kiume nodded. "Yeah, that one really knocks you out! But, hey, it's your day off, I guess it doesn't matter much if you oversleep for a change, right? You've worked so hard lately, you deserve a little pampering anyway."

Rahisi chuckled and shrugged, wishing she could get her pampering through one of them, instead of some plant. She didn't voice her thoughts out loud, but instead replied, "I suppose so, although... Will I get strange dreams, like last time?"

Kiume and Shukrani kept a straight face, knowing that if Rahisi were to take this new herb they were offering her, she would be hallucinating like she never did before.

"Yeah... There's a slight chance of dreaming odd stuff," Shukrani said casually after a second or two, "And you might feel a bit strange afterwards, but that wears off."

Rahisi looked thoughtful, as she pondered whether indulging in this new remedy or not. The first one had caused her no harm, and she had felt rather relaxed for a couple of days. If this one was a bit stronger, perhaps she could get that feeling for a week or more! Feeling excited about that possibility, Rahisi finally nodded at them, accepting their treat.

"You wait here," Kiume said, and left off to find the herb in question.

Rahisi and Shukrani made some small talk while they waited for Kiume to return. Jiwe in the meantime hadn't moved from her hiding spot, and was starting to get bored and restless. She heard Rahisi talking about sleeping and dreaming, so Jiwe entertained herself with the thought of waiting for her mother to doze off, and then try to startle her with a big, playful pounce.

Kiume returned after a few minutes, and sat next to Rahisi, showing her a small, glossy, bi-colored leaf. It had a dark-green edge, with a bright-green center. "Here you go, an Oil-Leaf for you."

The lioness stared at it with curiosity. "What a peculiar name... Do I eat it too, like the previous one?"

Kiume shook his head. "No, this one's absorbed by the skin. You have to crush the leaf with your claws, to release the oily substance inside, hence the name," he explained, "Once you've crushed it, you need to place the bits of leaf between the fold of your forelegs. The warmth of your body will activate the... relaxing properties of the oil."

Rahisi listened intently, not catching his awkward pause, nor Shukrani's stifled chuckle. She had been staring intently at the leaf, completely unaware that the plant in question was actually terribly aggressive to the body, and worst of all, it was extremely addictive, and very tough to quit. One Oil-Leaf was enough to have animals begging for more. It had such a bad reputation that even animals already addicted to a different type of herb would think twice about meddling with the Oil-Leaf.

Rahisi proceeded to crush the leaf, as instructed. It made a little _pop_ sound every time her claws punctured it, and a thick, transparent substance started oozing from it.

"Keep crushing it like that, it doesn't matter if it breaks," Shukrani said, keeping a close eye on her.

Rahisi continued her task carefully, taking in the scent released by the leaf, which was slightly minty. She inhaled deeply, but the scent made the inside of her nose sting, and her eyes watered slightly. Rahisi didn't take this as a warning sign, she only assumed that the smell was very strong.

"All right, now just divide the bits of leaf in two and place them on your forelegs. Bring your legs close to your chest for warmth, and say good night!"

Rahisi followed the final instructions. She sat down like a sphinx, her forelegs as close to her chest as possible, with the bits of leaf hidden between her elbow folds.

Rahisi felt a tingling sensation as her skin began absorbing the oil. Pretty soon, the mild tingling became rather uncomfortable, and was replaced by a burning sensation, which was exactly what the oil was doing: eating into her skin.

"Is it supposed to hurt?" she asked, wincing slightly.

"Just a tad," Kiume said, looking amused. He and Shukrani knew better than to meddle with this dangerous plant, but they knew what the symptoms were, by seeing many _low-life_ addicts use it before. "You should stop feeling the pain soon, though. Hang in there."

Rahisi bit her lip and closed her eyes tight, wondering just how much longer she could put up with the pain, but just as Kiume said, her legs went completely numb not long after, and the pain subsided in a matter of seconds. Rahisi tried to move to a more comfortable position, but she found out she was paralysed from head to tail. She tried to speak, but even her tongue seemed to have gone numb. She felt like she was floating, and before she had any time to panic, the hallucinations started. She began re-living happy moments of her childhood, such as playing along with her fellow pride-sisters, or having a nice bath from her mom. It felt extremely real, and eventually the lioness lost all contact with reality. She forgot all about Kiume, Shukrani, her loneliness, and even Jiwe.

Kiume and Shukrani stayed with her until she stopped responding to any stimuli. Not even a prod of Shukrani's nails brought Rahisi back to earth. The two lions just chuckled, satisfied that the plan was working out, and left to tend to their business, leaving Rahisi behind. She looked petrified, as if she was made of stone. Her face was frozen in a vacant expression, and the only movement that could be seen was the blinking of her eyes.

Jiwe, who had been peeking behind her rock all this time, grinned to herself when she saw the two males finally leaving. Her mom appeared to be asleep, so Jiwe thought she'd play her little prank now. Stalking clumsily, the cub made her way to Rahisi, and when she was close enough, she jumped at her, landing on her back, while biting her tail playfully.

"Gotcha!" Jiwe yelled triumphantly, but her mom didn't stir at all.

Jiwe looked at her, and noticed that her mom was not sleeping, but staring intently into the distance.

"Mom? I got ya! Didn't you see?" Jiwe tried once more, but Rahisi didn't reply.

_Oh, no, not again,_ the cub thought, remembering the day when Rahisi had ignored her completely.

Jiwe lingered by Rahisi's side this time, feeling a bit uneasy. She began feeling hunger again, and attempted to nurse, but Rahisi's current position made it impossible for Jiwe to reach her teats.

The cub tried pushing her mom's body to see if she could get her to lie down, but Rahisi's muscles were so tense that Jiwe was unable to change her position. Rahisi even seemed to be grinding her teeth, clenched very tight together.

The cub sighed, looking disgruntled and worried, while her tummy roared, demanding milk. But it was a good thing that Rahisi had stayed in that position. If Jiwe had attempted to nurse from her now, she would have absorbed the poison too via the milk, and then most certainly experience a very painful death.

Jiwe kept staring at her mom, wondering what was wrong. Rahisi's pupils were now fully dilated, giving her a very strange look. Jiwe decided to go alert the two leaders, perhaps they knew what was wrong. She made her way towards where the two lions were and found them talking to a scrawny leopard. She managed to catch part of their conversation.

"Here's your pay, as promised," she heard Shukrani say, while the lion handed a bundle of herbs to the leopard, "Now you and your mates stay around the Northern pass. If you spot any Rangers, you know what to do."

The two lions watched him run away, and became startled when they heard Jiwe's voice behind them.

"What's rangers?"

The males turned around and quickly dismissed the cub, walking away from her towards the den. "None of your business, squirt, go back to your mother and stop asking questions."

Jiwe frowned slightly, but she pressed on. "But I think something's happening to mom, maybe she's sick!"

"Your mother's fine," Shukrani growled, "She's just resting. Now, we would like to rest too, so how about you keep quiet, hmm?"

"But she-"

"It's all right, Jiwe," Kiume interrupted, seeing that Shukrani had began to snarl. Kiume seemed to have more patience with the cub, and as such, Jiwe always seemed to listen better to him than to Shukrani. "Don't worry about Rahisi," he carried on, "Sometimes lions sleep with their eyes open, that's just what your mom's doing. She's in a very deep sleep right now, that's why you can't wake her up. Just let your mom rest, and be a good girl in the meantime. Deal?"

Jiwe, who up until now had been taught to obey her elders, admitted defeat and nodded quietly. "Yes, Kiume. Sorry, Shuk."

"That's my girl," Kiume said, rubbing the cub's head roughly, making Jiwe laugh and squeal. "Now, why don't you just go back to her and keep her warm? I bet she'll like that."

Jiwe nodded and returned to Rahisi's side, only to find her in the same position, but trembling all over, not from cold, but just as a side-effect from the poison cursing through her body. Jiwe assumed that, just as Kiume had said, her mom was very, very cold, so Jiwe climbed on top of Rahisi, and sprawled herself on her back, like a little throw rug.

"No worries, mom, amma gonna make you nice and warm," Jiwe said, nosing Rahisi's nape and giving it a few, loving licks. Jiwe stayed on top of Rahisi, even long after the tremors had stopped.

* * *

When Rahisi finally awoke, she felt like a changed lioness. She had no idea how to describe it, all she knew is that she felt she could take over the world by just thinking about it. She stood up, feeling incredibly stiff from being in the same position for hours. The remains of the crushed Oil-Leaf fell down to the ground. They had turned a nasty shade of dark brown. Rahisi stretched herself, and then felt something roll off her back.

Jiwe had been peacefully asleep on Rahisi's back until that point, curled up into a tight ball. The cub didn't expect her mother to get up so fast and fell down to the ground, looking slightly shocked. She looked around and realized her mom was finally up.

"Mom!" she exclaimed, getting up to greet Rahisi with a head-butt on the chin, "Good morning! Did you have a really good sleep?"

"Morning," Rahisi replied, looking down at Jiwe, slightly confused. It took her a moment to get her bearings. Was she still dreaming or not? Once she felt sure that this was no longer a dream, Rahisi nodded at the cub. "I slept great, thanks. Let's go for a drink of water."

Jiwe followed her mother, casting curious glances at her every now and then. "You looked weird, sleeping with your eyes open and all that," she said.

"What are you talking about, don't be silly," Rahisi said as she bent over to drink some water from the pond.

"It's true, and then you were all like..." Jiwe started imitating the way Rahisi had been trembling and shaking.

The older lioness dismissed it and just shrugged it off. "I had very intense dreams, that's all, don't worry about you mom, okay?"

Jiwe nodded silently, but her curiosity got the best of her and asked, "What happened to your paws and your legs?"

Rahisi glanced down and noticed that the tip of her paws, and the area where she had kept the leaf warm, had acquired a greenish color. "It's caused by a herbal remedy, the leaves must have stained my pelt a little. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt," she replied. She wasn't lying, the area in question didn't burn anymore, but it did feel slightly itchy. Rahisi ran her tongue over the irritated skin, and found it very relieving, so she continued to lick and groom the tender spots for quite some time, until the green stains had faded.

Jiwe watched her mother for a while, taking in the strange, minty scent emanating from her legs. The cub lost interest in that soon after, and perked her ears when she remembered something she had been meaning to ask. "Mom, what's a ranger?"

Rahisi paused her grooming to look at her, shrugging slightly. "I have no idea, why?"

"Shuk and Kiume were talking with this leopard and they mentioned the rangers. I asked them about it, but they were all, _nyaaah go to sleeeeep, noisy cub!_" she added, in a crude imitation of the lions' deep voices, giggling to herself when she was done.

Rahisi shook her head, giving the cub a smile. "I don't know, sounds like some sort of guard or something." The lioness didn't give this much thought and instead focused in Jiwe's rumbling tummy. "You hungry?"

Jiwe nodded. "I didn't get any milk yesterday, ya fell asleep on your tummy and I couldn't reach," she said with just a hint of reproachfulness.

"Sorry, dear, I'll make sure to feed you first next time I take another one of these remedies," Rahisi said, and lay down before Jiwe.

The cub didn't waste any time and began nursing, but she found that no matter how hard she suckled, there was no milk coming out. She tried all of Rahisi's teats, but just like that, her milk production had dried up. The Oil-leaf was to blame for it, having caused a lot of dehydration in Rahisi's body.

"Well, I suppose it's about time that you start eating meat..." Rahisi said, unsure about this fact.

Jiwe grunted, looking very disappointed, but followed Rahisi towards where Kiume and Shukrani kept the last meat payment they received. There were still some decent leftovers, which Rahisi offered to Jiwe.

"Here, try this, it's soft and has no sharp bone," she said, choosing a nice bit of meat for her. But Jiwe sniffed it and turned her nose at it.

"At least give it a try, go on. It's not bad at all," Rahisi insisted.

Jiwe eyed the meat again with disgust, but wishing to please her mother, she nibbled it carefully at first, and then more thoroughly, tearing a very small bit and pulling it into her mouth. She chewed it slowly, and then grimaced.

"This tastes horrible!" the cub exclaimed, missing her mother's milk more than ever.

"Well that's all you're getting from now on. You should be excited, you're starting to eat like the grown-up lions do! You're not a baby anymore, you know."

Jiwe wasn't sure why she should be excited about this, but stopped complaining, and continued nibbling on her piece of meat. The more she ate, the more she got accustomed to the strange taste, and she found herself feeling satisfied, and her hunger cravings were gone.

Jiwe didn't complain about the lack of milk after that, and forgot for a moment all about Rahisi's strange 'naps'. But a few days later, she noticed yet another change in her mother. Rahisi had begun twitching for no reason, and she was acting very irritable and jumpy. She even yelled at Jiwe once, when the cub sneaked upon her and jumped at her unexpectedly.

Rahisi had no idea why she was feeling so annoyed. She even wondered if she might be coming into season, after all, extreme mood swings were the first symptom. However, Rahisi didn't feel receptive at all, on the contrary. She realized she just wanted to be left alone. This suited Kiume and Shukrani rather well. They kept their distance and minded their own business. However, Jiwe loved to hang out with Rahisi, having no other playmates of her own, and Rahisi's patience towards her was wearing very thin.

Perhaps she was just stressed, she thought. Maybe that herbal remedy could soothe her mood, just like last time. She had felt wonderful after that long nap. That's just what she needed.

The lioness made up her mind and asked Shukrani for another Oil-Leaf, not realizing that her strange symptoms were actually caused by the plant itself. The lion smirked, and gave her another leaf, to ensure her addiction. They hadn't asked her to do any jobs yet, but they would, soon.

Jiwe returned from playing by the pond, only to find Rahisi in a catatonic state again, just like last time. Jiwe sighed deeply, and wondered what to do. She then decided to go get a little bit of meat first, and then return to try and keep her mom warm once more through the night.

She found Kiume and Shukrani by the meat, eating and laughing animatedly. She sat nearby and watched them eat, waiting for her turn, just like her mom had taught her. As she watched them, she noticed they were also acting a bit strange. They were being very loud, laughing a lot, and talking in a way Jiwe hadn't heard them before, slurring their words and stumbling around as they paced back and forth.

"I tell ya, that bitch is gonna be eatin' from our paw in no time, pal," Shukrani said, while Kiume laughed and hiccuped at the same time.

Jiwe then noticed two strange objects on the ground, lying nearby. She approached to inspect them. They looked liked two coconut halves, but they smelled very sweet and fruity. She licked one of the halves, and felt her tongue prickling slightly.

"Kiume? Shuk? What's this stuff?" Jiwe ventured to ask, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Ah! Jiwe! C'mere, kiddo..." Shukrani said drunkenly, and whisked her up by the scruff of her neck with his paw.

Jiwe hung there limply, wondering why everyone was acting so odd today. She looked back at Shukrani, who was staring at her with an unfocused gaze.

"Ya listen to me, an' listen good... Ya be a good girl and ya gonna get anythin ya want," he slurred, "But if ya dare to cross us, ya gonna be skinned alive, ya hear?"

Jiwe blinked back, unsure of what to do or say. But in her mind, the images of the hyenas ripping the baboons apart were still very fresh. As such, she opted for being polite and replied, "Yes, Shuk, I'll be a good lioness..."

"That's what I wanna hear," he said, releasing Jiwe and dropping her carelessly on the ground.

"Oomph!" Jiwe exclaimed as she fell, but recovered quickly. Seeing that the two males were done eating, she made her way to the meat and began nibbling at it. But a loud snarl coming from behind her startled her. She turned to see Shukrani looking very angry all of a sudden.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doin, stupid brat?"

Jiwe looked around, not sure he was actually addressing her. She swallowed with difficulty and said, "Er... I thought you were done, sorry... Should I wait longer?"

Shukrani bent over and snarled in front of the cub's face. "This is OUR meat. You want to eat from it, you'll have to earn the right!"

Jiwe glanced around, looking very confused. She saw Kiume approaching, and felt a bit relieved. She liked Kiume a lot more, and she was sure he'd set things straight. But instead, he seemed to side with Shukrani, and told her, "He's right, you know... You're not a little baby anymore, it's time that you start working for the Pride and earning your share of the meat."

"Um... Okay," Jiwe mumbled, "What do I have to do then?"

"We'll tell you when the time is right," Kiume said. Both lions then turned away, ending the conversation abruptly.

Jiwe bit her lip for a moment and then ventured to say, "But... I'm hungry now..."

"Then go wake up that pathetic, clingy lioness you got for a mother!" Shukrani said, and both lions faded away in the distance, still laughing and yelling like mad.

Jiwe waited a considerable amount of time, before approaching the meat again and attempting to steal a nibble, but at that point Kuwasi, the spy vulture, cleared his throat, attracting Jiwe's attention.

The cub jumped slightly, and looked around, until she located the vulture, perched up in a nearby tree.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. They will cut your tongue for stealing their food."

Jiwe's eyes grew wide in fear. Having seen what they did to the baboons, Jiwe saw no reason not to believe Kuwasi. She simply backed off, and then darted away in the direction of her mother.

Rahisi was still in the middle of her Oil-Leaf trip, and didn't even notice Jiwe snuggling by her side and crying silently, begging her to get up and go find some food for her. Jiwe gave up after a while, and fell into a very uneasy sleep.


	4. Caught in Addiction

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 4: Caught in Addiction**

It was now very clear to Jiwe that something had changed in the past few days. More often than not, she would find her mother in that strange, motionless state, which meant that Jiwe had to take care of herself.

The cub started wandering further and further away, without any supervision from her mother, although that didn't mean that nobody was watching over her. Kiume and Shukrani were too busy to pay attention to Jiwe, but they had asked their employees to keep an eye on the cub. Jiwe had no idea that almost everywhere she went, someone was keeping a watchful eye on her. The two lions didn't do this out of concern for her well being. They simply knew that Jiwe could be useful to them in the future, and they didn't want to lose that opportunity.

Once again, Rahisi had failed to keep her promise of hunting before taking an Oil-Leaf, and Jiwe felt hungrier and hungrier. The little lioness sniffed the area, hoping to find some scraps to eat.

If Jiwe had approached Kiume and Shukrani now that they were sober again, they would have allowed her to eat from their stash of meat, but the cub was scared that they would really cut her tongue off, like Kuwasi had warned, so instead she tried looking for something on her own. She wasn't very lucky; there was no carrion to be found in the area, and her amateur attempts at catching rodents or fish were unsuccessful.

The cub resorted to drinking a lot of water, hoping to fill her belly that way and satiate her hunger, but the feeling didn't last for long, and the cub returned to the lair, feeling more desperate by the minute. She had lost track of when she last had something to eat. Had it been three, or four days? Jiwe couldn't tell. Rahisi hadn't bothered going hunting because one of the side-effects of the Oil-Leaf is that it acted as an appetite-suppressant, so Rahisi was not feeling any hunger at all, and just a few bites of meat were enough to make her feel like she had eaten enough. Only Jiwe wasn't faring that well, and the hunger was becoming unbearable.

Feeling tired and shaky, the cub even contemplated the possibility of stealing food from the male lions after all, even if it cost her her tongue.

But to her dismay, the stash had now disappeared. All the meat was gone, and there were nothing but bones scattered here and there. Jiwe quickly took a bone in her mouth and began nibbling on it, but it didn't help. If anything, it only made her hungrier.

The cub became very frustrated and couldn't hold herself, and began to cry. Jiwe ran to Rahisi's side and tried to wake her up once again, in vain. Jiwe tried pushing her, headbutting her side, biting her ears and tail hard, yelling and roaring, screaming, and finally throwing a full-blown temper tantrum right on Rahisi's face, but the lioness still didn't react. Unfortunately, Jiwe did attract the attention of Kiume and Shukrani, who were not pleased in the slightest to have a screaming cub messing around.

"Mom, please, I'm so hungry... Hunt something for me, please!" Jiwe insisted loudly.

The two male lions, who were sitting nearby, became more and more impatient with the cub, since Jiwe kept wailing at the top of her lungs.

"Aren't there any left-overs we can stuff down that hole of hers?" Shukrani asked, looking around, staring at the bones scattered around them.

"Nope, we've eaten all the payment meat already, and that dumb-ass Rahisi is unfit to hunt once again. I clearly told her not to use the leaf today but she didn't listen," Kiume replied, eyeing Jiwe for a moment. "Do you think we should go hunt something for her? I don't want her to die. You know we will need her around."

"I totally don't feel like hunting right now. We'll just send her ugly mother tomorrow to get us some food, no excuses. She will have to do it if she wants more Oil-Leaves from us," Shukrani replied and lay his head down on his paws, attempting to catch some sleep.

Kiume didn't say more and also lay down to rest. But the cub's piercing screams were keeping both of them awake, and Shukrani quickly lost his patience.

"Screw this, I'm silencing that little brat right now," Shukrani said, and got up, looking grumpy. He headed towards their secret herb-hideout, grumbling under his breath.

Kiume raised an eyebrow. He thought at first that Shukrani would actually slap the cub senseless, but his surprised expression turned into a smirk when he saw Shukrani returning from the hideout, holding between his lips the smallest Oil-Leaf he could find in their secret stash.

"You're kidding, right?" Kiume asked, letting out a loud chuckle. They had never given any herbs to someone so young; perhaps it would be amusing to see Jiwe's reaction.

"Watch me," Shukrani replied. He then faced the cub and yelled at her, "Hey, Jiwe, come here, we got something for you!"

Jiwe heard his call, and walked in their direction, her tear-stained face looking slightly more hopeful. _Maybe they'll gimme something to eat?_

"Come here, and lie down on your belly," Shukrani told her as he skillfully crushed the tiny Oil-Leaf for her, releasing its minty scent. Only he didn't use his own claws, but a pointy shard of a bone that was lying nearby. Shukrani knew better than to stain his paws with the color and scent of the filthy plant, which would mark him as an obvious herb-user.

Jiwe curled up her nose for a moment, as she recognized the scent all too well. Rahisi smelled strongly of it as of late. "Oh... Mom's remedy?" she asked, her ears drooping down in visible disappointment, "I thought you'd give me food..."

"Nope, this isn't food, squirt," Shukrani replied, "but it'll keep you feeling nice and full, until your mom's up and running again."

Jiwe stared at the crushed leaf with curiosity, figuring that if her mother was using it, it should be safe for her to use it too. The truth was that Jiwe felt so hungry, that she was willing to try just about anything to get rid of the nasty feeling.

Shukrani then placed the bits of leaf on Jiwe's forelegs, between the fold of her elbows.

"Tuck your legs in close to your chest," he ordered.

Jiwe pulled her legs towards her, curling into a little ball, not even thinking for a second that this event would change her life forever.

"Fine, now stay like that, and no more screaming, you hear?" Shukrani warned.

Jiwe felt her empty stomach cramping once more. Seeing that her mother's miracle remedy wasn't working as fast as expected, she blurted out with a trembling voice, as her chin started to quiver again, "But... I'm still hungry!"

"Shut up, Jiwe!" Shukrani snarled, giving her a warning glare.

Jiwe pinned her ears back and tried to make herself small for him, in submission. Shukrani walked away, looking satisfied, while Kiume lingered nearby, keeping a curious eye on her. He wasn't sure what the effects of the Oil-Leaf would be on a cub, even with a small leaf, like the one Shukrani had picked out for her.

Jiwe in turn felt her legs beginning to tingle, which distracted her from her hunger pangs for a moment. Before she knew it, she was lost in an imaginary world, full of other little lion cubs to play with, and huge mounds of meat for her to devour whenever she wanted. Despite her age, she was a fierce huntress and fighter, all the animals wanted to be like her and be her friend. Jiwe was very popular in this imaginary world of hers, and she definitely loved being the center of attention. She forgot all about her hunger, and proceeded to have the most fun she'd had in her life.

After a couple of minutes of precious silence, Kiume approached Jiwe and inspected her closely.

She was still sitting on the exact same position, as if petrified, staring ahead with her eyes wide open and the Oil-Leaf's trademark vacant expression on her face. The lion waved a paw in front of the cub's face, but there was absolutely no reaction from Jiwe. She didn't seem to be in distress, or sick, so he left the cub alone and returned to where Shukrani was resting.

Shukrani chuckled, knowing she'd be all right in a few hours.

"I thought you were bluffing, didn't think you'd go through with it," Kiume said, settling down for a nap once again.

Shukrani shrugged nonchalantly. "It had to happen sooner or later. You know we have a few exchanges coming up and we will need Jiwe for that. I want her hooked on some herb, so that she won't even think about refusing to cooperate, that is, if she wants her next fix."

Kiume nodded quietly, feeling little to no remorse about what Shukrani had just done. To them, Jiwe was just another pawn in their game and she would be used the way they deemed fit. If that included having her hooked on the most addictive herb they could think of, then so be it.

* * *

When Jiwe finally regained the use of her muscles and was able to stand up, she expected to feel tired, and in pain. Her limbs were indeed stiff, from hours of sitting in the same position, but it didn't bother her much. The pain quickly faded, after she stretched a few times, and she had to admit she felt wonderful, like she had had the best nap ever. Not to mention that very vivid dream. It had felt so real, and Jiwe couldn't help but wishing she could return to that imaginary world once again.

But the best part of all, was that the hunger was gone, although Jiwe didn't realize that her mind was simply playing tricks on her. Her body was still very much demanding food and nutrients, but Jiwe's brain kept signalling a full stomach, and Jiwe didn't bother looking for anything to eat after that. She walked around for a while and saw Kiume and Shukrani not too far away. Rahisi was nowhere to be seen, she probably woke up already and wandered for a drink to the nearby pond or to the lake up north.

With extreme confidence, a known after-effect from the Oil-Leaf, the little cub headed towards the two lions.

"Hey there, what's up?" she greeted them.

"Welcome back," Shukrani said, raising an eyebrow at her boldness, "Had a good sleep?"

Jiwe nodded repeatedly, looking very content. "Yeah! Best nap ever! Hey, can I have some of that leaf again?" she blurted out.

Kiume shook his head. "No, no, no. First of all, you need to wait a few days first, otherwise you won't feel much of an effect. And second, those leaves are costly. We can't just be giving them away like that."

Jiwe tilted her head, and remembered what the lions had said the night they got drunk on fermented fruit juice. "Hey, Shuk, you said the other day that if I wanted to have food, I had to work for it. If I work extra hard, can I also get a leaf? Ya got any chores I can do?"

The two lions chuckled at her enthusiasm. It amazed them to see how fast the Oil-Leaf created a dependency on the herb-user.

"Not today," Shukrani replied, "but tomorrow we might have a chore for you. Come meet us at sunrise and we'll let you know what you have to do."

Jiwe nodded, and left to find Rahisi, to tell her all about her experience with the herbal remedy. She knew her mother always went for a drink of water after waking up, so Jiwe made her way to the pond, which was closest to the lair. Finding the pond deserted, the cub decided to head north and check the lake. As expected, Jiwe found Rahisi there, but she was not alone. Rahisi was talking to another lioness, a stranger whose scent Jiwe couldn't recognize.

The cub approached quietly, wondering with curiosity whether her mother might have made a new friend. Her enthusiasm faded when she heard that Rahisi was actually crying, and the other lioness was attempting to comfort her.

"How could I be so stupid... If I had known," Rahisi said between sobs, while the stranger next to her simply stared down at the ground and nuzzled her sadly.

Jiwe was so focused on her crying mother, that she forgot to watch where she was walking, and stepped on a twig. It cracked noisily, making the strange lioness stand up in alarm.

"I have to go," she blurted out, "But remember what I said, if you need help, you know where to find us."

With that, the lioness ran off into the distance, making Jiwe feel a bit guilty about having startled her. The cub approached Rahisi apprehensively, and whispered, "Mom? Why are you crying?"

Rahisi turned to look at her startled. "Jiwe, what are you doing here! You know you shouldn't come here on your own."

Jiwe shrugged and sat next to Rahisi. "I was just looking for ya, and then I heard ya crying, mom... Why? And who was that lioness?"

Rahisi just shook her head in response. "Forget about her. It's very important that you don't tell anyone she was here. You understand that, Jiwe?"

Jiwe nodded, looking very confused.

Rahisi pondered for a moment, and then turned to the cub. "I need to have a word with Kiume and Shuk. I want you to wait by our napping spot, and don't come interrupting."

"Fine, I'll stay put, but will you tell me what's made ya so sad?" Jiwe insisted, but Rahisi was not in the mood to talk.

"Maybe later. For now, let's go back to the den."

Rahisi began walking, but noticed that Jiwe started to lag behind. She looked over her shoulder and spotted the cub sitting down at random intervals, stopping to lick and chew on her forepaws.

"Jiwe, what are you doing? Come on, hurry up! You can groom yourself when you get there," Rahisi called.

"Sorry, mom, my legs itch a lot. Must be from the herb remedy..."

Rahisi stopped on her tracks and turned to face Jiwe. "What did you say? What remedy?"

Jiwe looked up at her and gave her a big grin. "The same one you use all the time! Shuk showed me how it's done, and I had a really cool nap! That's why I came here, I wanted to tell you about it! I had the coolest dreams. Ya think we can nap together next time?"

Rahisi's eyes began watering immediately. She sat down and bent over to inspect Jiwe closely. There was no mistake, Jiwe's skin had that minty scent to it, especially by the folds of her elbows. "Oh, Jiwe..." the lioness sighed, and pulled Jiwe close to her.

Jiwe's smile faded, sensing her mother's inner turmoil. "Mom? What's the matter?"

Rahisi swallowed with difficulty, but she tried to keep a straight face for Jiwe when she said, "We can't take those remedies anymore, Jiwe. I found out that they're not good for us."

"Oh," Jiwe replied, looking away in disappointment. "No fair... I just found out how awesome the plant is and now you're saying I can't take it?"

Rahisi nodded. "It's hard to explain, but you'll have to trust me."

The two lionesses resumed their walking in silence, while Jiwe let out a deep sigh every now and then, and stopped to scratch the itchy patches of skin.

When they arrived at the den, Jiwe went to lie down by her usual sleeping spot, looking at her mother with curiosity. Rahisi went to look for Shukrani and Kiume, with a determined expression on her face. She never noticed Jiwe following her at a considerable distance.

Rahisi arrived where Kiume and Shukrani were resting, and she butted in on their conversation, not caring for a change whether she was interrupting something important, "Oi, you two!"

The two lions turned to look at her. Shukrani raised an eyebrow when he heard an angry tone in her voice. "What is it?"

"When exactly were you planning to let me know the real nature of your talks with all the animals around here?" Rahisi demanded, looking very displeased to say the least.

Kiume and Shukrani could immediately tell that she had found out their secret somehow.

"Rahisi, dear," Shukrani said, standing up and walking up to her, "What we do with the animals around here is none of your concern. All you have to do is keep on hunting food whenever we need you to. That's all there is to it. You don't have to be involved in our matters."

Rahisi snarled slightly as she looked the lion in the eye. "Don't lie to me! I know now that you're herb-dealers! You're making a _business_ of slowly poisoning everyone, including me and my daughter!"

The lion rolled his eyes. "So, what if we are? Are you going to run away from this place? And then what?"

"I don't care, as long as we're far away from you liars... I trusted you both, and you took advantage of me and Jiwe! How could you?" Rahisi spat, while tears ran down her face once more. The pain and disappointment was obvious in her expression; the lioness was clearly devastated by these news.

Kiume walked over to them at that point and sided with Shukrani. "You're forgetting something very important, Rahisi. You might want and try to leave this place, but your addiction will make you keep coming back to us for more."

"Exactly," Shukrani added, "Only we might not be as friendly as before and we won't give you any herbs at all, unless you do exactly what we tell you to do."

Rahisi bared her teeth at the two lions, shaking slightly both from the herbs she had taken, as well as from anger. "Are you blackmailing me?"

"I'm just letting you know where you stand. Mind you, if you want to leave, you'll also have to travel very, very far, since we won't allow you to poach in our lands anymore. We have eyes everywhere, and we can make sure you don't get anything to eat, not even carrion," Shukrani added triumphantly, "So why don't we just skip this whole running-away-fiasco? Then I can explain to you what our business is all about."

Rahisi looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"So you heard right, we are herb-dealers," Shukrani went on, "but not only that, we are the producers, and we control the business miles around. Every herb that's handed out to any addicts out there was produced by us. You won't find any scattered Oil-Leaves to feed your addiction out there in the savannah. If you want them, you have to come to our dealers and pay the price."

"If all you wanted was a huntress to bring food in, why in the world did you give me those leaves? And why did you give them to Jiwe? She's just a cub, for crying out loud!"

"You were getting too clingy, dear," Shukrani replied, while Kiume nodded in agreement, "Giving you the leaves provided us the peace and quiet we were after. We were getting rather sick and tired of your whining for company and whatnot. Same reason why we gave them to Jiwe, really. She was getting too irritating and noisy after you stopped feeding her properly."

Rahisi dried her tears with her tongue and stood up. "Fine, I'll rid you two of our unbearable presence. And don't expect me to come back because I won't! I've been through worse than some stupid addiction!" she roared angrily, and ran away, almost stepping over Jiwe, who had been listening to their every word

"Jiwe! What are you doing here? I told you to stay put!"

The cub looked at the three adults, a thousand questions in her mind, starting from what was an addiction, and why her mother was so angry all of a sudden. But she had no time to ask. Rahisi whisked her away by the scruff of her neck and ran as fast as her legs could carry.

Kiume and Shukrani watched them go, chuckling slightly. They didn't even bother giving chase; they were certain that they would come back. They always did.

"I bet half my share of fermented fruit juice that they'll be grovelling back here in five days," Kiume said.

"I bet you my half they won't last three without the herbs. We'll see them again sooner than you think," Shukrani added, a wicked grin spreading over his face.

* * *

Only two days had passed, and Rahisi, who hadn't experienced withdrawal symptoms before, was having a horrible time. Everything inside her was causing her pain and discomfort. She kept having painful muscle twitches and cramps, and she was shivering constantly. She was sick to her stomach several times, and to top it off, the hunger that the herbs had been masking seemed to come back ten times worse.

She was in no state to hunt, and even if she managed to get a little bird or rodent, some other animal or predator would come and steal it. "Sorry, orders from the bosses!" they had said.

Rahisi knew she had two options. The first one was to keep on travelling and try to locate the strange lioness she spoke to earlier. It was her who alerted her of Kiume and Shukrani's shady business, and she said there was a Pride dedicated to help and rehabilitate addicted lions. Unfortunately, that Pride was very far away east, and Rahisi knew she wouldn't make it all the way there, not in this state, and not without food.

To add to that, Jiwe was also having a terrible time, in a slightly milder form than Rahisi's discomfort. Only she couldn't really understand why she was feeling so ill all of a sudden. Rahisi had tried to sit down and have a talk with her, but her mind just kept wandering back to the thought of taking an Oil Leaf and she could not focus for more than a minute. Jiwe herself was having problems listening, and she kept wandering around, crying and feeling miserable.

The second option was, to go back to the Paka Pride and play according to Kiume and Shukrani's rules. All she had to do was bring food in, right? She could do that, she was good at hunting. Somehow her brain quickly began coming up with all sorts of pros about her return to their territory. She would be well fed, she would count with their protection, it wasn't all so bad, right?

But then there was Jiwe. That was the only thing that was stopping Rahisi from running back to the two lions. What they did to her was very low. But the choice was quickly made for her when Jiwe burst into tears and screamed for them to go back.

All Jiwe wanted was to go to sleep, but the discomfort was making it impossible, and she longed for one of those herbs to be able to have sweet dreams again. "Mom, let's just go back, please," she cried loudly.

It was as if Rahisi's addicted body had brain-washed her mind into thinking that returning was indeed the one and only solution, and with that thought in mind, Rahisi and Jiwe returned to Kiume and Shukrani's den.

The two lions didn't seem surprised, if anything, they were both glad that neither one of them had lost the bet and could keep their full share of their favorite beverage. They didn't make a fuss about their return either. Shukrani simply told them, "Welcome back. Now, it's time for you to get to work, only we'll do things a bit differently this time."

Unsure of what he meant, Rahisi said, "I need a leaf first, please..."

Shukrani shook his head. "No, this time we decide when you get the leaves, Rahisi. So if you want some relief, you'll do as you're told!"

The two lions whispered something to each other in hushed voices, and then they turned to Rahisi and Jiwe again.

"Rahisi, you'll go with Shuk, I'll take Jiwe with me," Kiume said.

Rahisi asked them what this was all about, but the lions remained quiet after that. She watched how Jiwe and Kiume headed in the opposite direction, and they disappeared behind a thick set of bushes.

Jiwe still felt terrible, and no one seemed keen to explain to her what was going on. All she knew is that she felt ill, and she was sure that another Oil-Leaf would make her feel better.

"Please, Kiume, can you give me a leaf?" she asked between sobs.

"I'll give you a leaf when you're done with your chore."

The lion led Jiwe to a patch of bare soil, with little to no grass growing on it. There were a few other animals sitting in the area, as if waiting for Kiume to show up. They all stood up and walked closer when they saw him approaching.

"All right, guys, here's the deal. Our underground sources have alerted us about a wild growth of Blackroot here. You know the drill, find the bulbs and bring them to me. Get to work, chop chop!"

Jiwe watched as the animals began sniffing the ground and digging up in different spots of the dusty area.

"Listen up, Jiwe. You'll help them find the bulbs too. It's important that you don't bite them, they will mess up with your mouth badly. You'll get horrible sores. Better handle them with your paws," Kiume explained. He spoke in a soft and calm voice, like a father teaching his cub how to hunt for the first time.

Jiwe nodded, and inspected a bulb once a leopard came by and dropped it at Kiume's feet. The root had a very peculiar scent, smelling of wet soil, bark and mold. Once she was sure she'd recognize the smell, the cub began sniffing the area too, trying to do her best and earn herself an Oil-Leaf for her hard work.

Jiwe eventually managed to locate a few roots by herself, and even made a few friends in the process. All the animals that were digging around were also herb-addicts, and they immediately felt bad when they saw someone as young as Jiwe, small and malnourished, working like an adult to try and earn her next fix. As such, everyone was keen to give her a little help.

"Psst, kiddo, c'mere, I think I found another one, ya wanna help me dig it out?" a young, adult female cheetah called her over. She was very thin, for a cheetah, and had a small notch on her right ear. But she looked friendly enough, and Jiwe accepted her help enthusiastically.

The cub bounced up to her and began digging. "You're right... Here it is, got it!"

Before Jiwe knew it, the dusty plain was now full of holes, like an army of moles had passed through the area. Kiume was busy counting the bulbs, while the animals lingered nearby, waiting for their pay. Before he handed out any herbs, the lion himself scouted the area, to make sure that these low-life addicts didn't leave any bulbs behind on purpose, to come and collect them later.

"What's he doing?" Jiwe asked the cheetah.

"He don't trust us, that one. He be lookin' for any left overs, afraid that we gonna come at night an' steal 'em for ourselves."

Jiwe tilted her head, while she watched Kiume sniffing the area intently. "What happens if he finds one right now?"

"Then nobody gets paid. So we gotta make damn sure each an' every bulb's taken out."

Jiwe nodded, and watched how Kiume, looking satisfied, returned to where everyone was gathered and motioned a leopard to come nearer. He hadn't done any digging, Jiwe noticed earlier, he was just standing there, keeping guard, but looking a bit queasy all the time.

The leopard approached, and began retching, as if he was going to either be sick or spit out a hairball. What came out of his mouth looked completely different, and Jiwe couldn't help feeling morbidly curious, and approached to take a better look. It looked like a bundle of sorts.

"Open it," Kiume told him, not wanting to touch the filthy thing with his own paws.

The leopard obeyed, and sliced it open with his sharp claws. Jiwe's eyes opened wide in bewilderment. It was a pouch made of some sort of thick hide, that contained different kinds of powders, small twigs, herbs and plants. Jiwe figured out that the leopard must have been concealing it in his tummy, judging by the looks and smell of it.

She then watched how Kiume handed out different plants and powders, depending on the animals' addictions. The cheetah that had been helping Jiwe earlier got a rolled-up leaf containing Bark Powder, and a small, pink petal.

"What's that?" Jiwe asked.

"Stupid stuff ya shouldn't be meddlin' with. So stay away from it!"

Jiwe chuckled. "Okay, okay!"

The cheetah gave her a warm smile and asked her, "Which plant ya waitin' for? I bet ya it's Catnip, innit?"

Jiwe shook her head and smiled innocently when she replied, "Nah, I want that leaf that ya can crush with your claws and it makes ya sleep and have awesome dreams."

The smile in the cheetah's face disappeared completely. She had seen a few animals succumb to the herb in question. They all just died from starvation, and those who tried to quit, ended up killing themselves in the process. The future didn't look bright for the little lion cub.

"What's yar name, kiddo?" she asked.

"I'm Jiwe. Nice to meet you," the cub replied.

"Well Jiwe, my name's Mwezi. I gotta go now, but I'll see ya around next time, okay?"

Jiwe waved good bye, and waited until Kiume had handed out herbs to everyone involved in the digging. He dismissed the workers, and told Jiwe, "You'll get your leaf when we're back at the den. Well done, by the way. I think you'll make a good tracker."

When Jiwe returned home, she was allowed a bit of meat for her effort. But instead of eating, Jiwe chose to take the Oil-Leaf first.

When Rahisi returned from helping Shukrani deal with some difficult customers, she found Jiwe already spacing out, and she cursed herself for being so stupid and weak. If only she had been strong enough to escape. But those thoughts quickly left her when she was presented with an Oil-Leaf, and Rahisi quickly joined Jiwe in that imaginary world where everything was perfect and there was no hunger, pain and heartache.

* * *

_**Author's note:** _

Thanks for your kind reviews so far! :) Also, Shukrani's character sheet is now available here: fav . me / d65l4l3 (remove the spaces!)


	5. Taking New Roles

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 5: Taking New Roles**

Jiwe continued performing a few jobs as per orders of the two leaders. More often than not they would send her along with a few other addicts in search for herbs spotted growing in the wild, while Rahisi would either go hunting, or assist Kiume during herb exchanges.

Jiwe was very good at following orders, which pleased the two lions. She also had shown some initiative, by alerting Shukrani one day about a Blackroot outbreak she had sniffed, even before his underground sources informed him about it.

The two lions were aware that Jiwe worked hard, and seemed to be adapting to the life in a dealing Pride pretty well, unlike her mother. They had no reason to complain about the cub, but they didn't feel the same way about Rahisi, who always felt extremely depressed when she sobered up.

Rahisi continued to hunt for them whenever there were no meat payments to consume, but as of late, Kiume and Shukrani thought of other ways they could put Rahisi to good use. Shukrani knew that besides herbs, they could also use Rahisi herself as a means of payment for a trade, especially when dealing with other lions or felines. As such, they began forcing her into prostitution. There were already a few female felines willing to partake in the activity just to get additional herbs, but there were no lionesses currently in the ring, so the addition of Rahisi was most welcomed.

At first, Rahisi had no idea that this was going on, since the lions always waited for her to be tripping on an Oil-Leaf to bring in the customers. Rahisi, who always felt a lot of discomfort once the effect of the herbs wore out, never realized that there was a reason as to why she was in more pain than usual.

But when the customers began demanding to be with a lioness that actually reacted to their touch, or at least pretended to enjoy mating, Shukrani had no choice but to tell Rahisi that part of her tasks now also included keeping the customers satisfied, in every sense of the word.

Rahisi had been shocked at first, and refused. But once again, after a few days of being denied her precious Oil-Leaves, the lioness gave in and accepted Shukrani's terms. She was somewhat decent at pretending that she was enjoying herself, but inside, Rahisi was so sad and tired of it all, that not even the Oil-Leaf proved to be a good outlet for her anymore, and once she sobered up, the lioness then spent most of her free time alone and crying.

Jiwe herself hadn't meddled with any other plant so far, but she couldn't help feeling curious as to what the effect of the other herbs would be. She thought she could ask the other addicts next time they were rounded up for a herb-track session.

The day finally came, and Jiwe made her way to Mwezi, the friendly cheetah female she had met earlier. They were busy searching for hallucinogenic mushrooms in the more forested area of the Paka territory.

"Say, Mwezi, that powder ya keep gettin' from The Bosses... What does it do?" the cub asked, mimicking her accent slightly, but not on purpose. Ever since she kept hanging out with the addicts and spending most of her time with them, she began picking up a few of their their mannerisms and expressions.

"I told ya already, it's nothing ya should be interested in," Mwezi replied, while lifting a few rocks.

"C'mon, I just wanna know what it does and why ya take it. Is it like the Oil-Leaf? Do you get cool dreams?"

Mwezi let out a chuckle and said, "Nah, it's a lot lighter than that. It just makes ya feel very energetic, and then very chill. Nothin' too weird or scary."

Jiwe remained quiet for a few seconds, and pressed on, "What about these mushrooms we're gathering?"

"They make you see stuff that ain't there," Mwezi replied.

"Cool, like the Oil-Leaf!"

Mwezi grunted slightly. "No, not even close, yo. These shrooms make ya see things while you're awake. From what I've heard, that leaf o' yours completely knocks ya out and makes ya forget ya even alive. Definitely _not_ cool, if ya ask me."

"Oh, yeah, I see what ya mean..." Jiwe said, absorbing every bit of information like a sponge. "So ya never used an Oil-Leaf before?"

"Never," Mwezi replied without hesitation. She then turned to Jiwe, staring at her quietly. The little lioness had lost a lot of weight, and the lack of nutrients was also visible in her dull and matted fur. It also appeared that whoever was taking care of this cub was doing a lousy job at keeping her groomed. In short, Jiwe was the perfect, living example of why one shouldn't meddle with the Oil-Leaf.

"Why not? It feels really awesome," Jiwe said, as she skillfully dug up a mushroom she found under a thick, moist branch.

Mwezi glanced at Jiwe and asked, "Do ya know what an addiction is?"

Jiwe shrugged as she carried on with her search. "Heard mom talkin' about it, but not sure what it means."

Mwezi sat down for a second and faced Jiwe, who looked up at her with interest.

"It's like this... These shrooms here, the Bark Powder I take, the Blackroots... All this crap causes an addiction. That means that your body will keep askin' for more, and if you don't give it, your body will make sure there's hell to pay. The addiction will control your life, everything you do will be geared to getting your next fix. Now, of all them plants out there, the Oil-Leaf is the worst. Ya ever gone a few days without one?"

Jiwe nodded, recalling silently the day when Rahisi had attempted to run away. It had been a horrible experience. "Yeah, like two days or so."

"Well, then ya know how it feels, only it gets much, much worse. I've seen animals tryin' to kick out the habit, and trust me, it ain't pretty."

Jiwe gave Mwezi a little, cheeky smile, and said, "Then I ain't stoppin' with it. Why should I quit, anyway? Sounds like a pain to me. Might as well keep on doin' it!"

Mwezi motioned Jiwe to come closer, and placed her dusty paw on her shoulder. "I know you're just a cub n' all, but since you're living in this messed up adult scenario, I'm gonna talk to ya like a grown-up. I think it's about time someone did."

Jiwe looked up at her expectantly, wondering why Mwezi had gone so serious all of a sudden.

"Bein' addicted to the Oil-Leaf is no joke, Jiwe. If ya keep on usin' it, pretty soon the fur on your paws will be stained green forever, and ya legs are gonna go bald. And just look at ya, you're so skinny. I bet ya be skippin' meals just to go back to trippin' balls again, innit?"

Jiwe looked away, unsure of what to say. It was true that if given the choice between meat and herbs, she'd go for the herbs, and then, with her mind telling her she was full, Jiwe would only eat a very small portion later. "Well, I'm addicted already, what else can I do? Ya said it yourself, stoppin' ain't easy."

"If you're not up for that, at least promise me ya'll keep on eatin', even if ya think ya ain't hungry. The biggest danger with the Oil-Leaf is that the users starve, 'cause they don't feel the hunger. I'd hate to see the likes of ya go that way."

Jiwe smiled at Mwezi and nodded. "I promise ya I'll eat something every day."

"That's my girl," Mwezi replied, hoping to have gotten through Jiwe. "Now let's keep on looking for them mushrooms before the Bosses get mad 'cause we're takin' forever!"

Jiwe carried on with the task, thinking about what Mwezi had said. It made a lot of sense. She knew that she should feel some discomfort given the little amount of food she had been eating lately, and she now understood that the Oil-Leaf was only masking this feeling.

When she returned to the lair after working, she forced herself to eat first. It was still a rather small portion, and Jiwe felt extremely full and bloated afterwards. But it was enough to keep her basic body functions up and running for the time being.

* * *

One afternoon, during sunset, Kiume and Shukrani were discussing their plans to travel to a different territory. Rumour was that the animals in that area were curious about the strange herbs, but they were not familiar with which plants were actually safe for consumption. The Paka Pride would go there and advertise their forbidden herbs. However, once they left the safety of their own territory, they would be subject to inspection by 'rangers'.

The Rangers' goal was to try and keep the damage contained within the Paka territory. While the Rangers didn't know Shukrani and Kiume in person, they did know about their infamous mind-altering substances.

Sometimes, a Ranger would try to get close and see if they could obtain any information. But whenever they got too close, Shukrani's guards would either chase them away, or even attempt to kill them.

It was difficult to determine who was a Ranger just by looking at them from a distance. It could be anyone: cheetahs, hyenas, leopards, wild dogs and even lions from distant prides, all teamed up together to fight one common enemy. They would travel in groups, although most of the members in the team would remain carefully hidden, and would only come out to ambush someone if they looked or acted suspicious.

Kuwasi, the vulture, had just informed Shukrani that there were a couple of cheetahs nearby, and given their walking pattern and behaviour, there was a small chance that they could be Rangers patrolling the area. So the lions would have to be careful when attempting to cross borders. If they were caught smuggling herbs, they would be killed or confined in a cave for life.

After some consideration, the lions knew it was time to put Jiwe to good use.

"We could ask any of the other addicts to do the job, but it's too obvious that they're addicted to some herb," Kiume mused, "You can't really tell that with Jiwe yet. I'm sure that no one's gonna suspect her. They'll all go soft at the sight of a cute little cub and they won't be tough on her at all. Let them search us all they want, they won't find any evidence. It's the perfect plan!"

Shukrani nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right. We knew she'd come in handy for this kind of thing, so it's time to see if we can make things work out."

The two lions hushed when they spotted Rahisi approaching. She was carrying food in her muzzle, and they would have started salivating already at the thought of dinner, however there were more pressing matters at hand.

Rahisi in turn was looking forward to her payment. She had no idea that the two lions were about to ask yet one more thing from her if she wanted to get her next fix.

"Glad you're here, Rahisi, we were just talking about your cub," Shukrani said nonchalantly.

Rahisi didn't seem startled, and went straight to the point. "Sorry I took so long! I couldn't find anything to eat but in the end I managed to steal a cheetah's catch. So come and dig in! And what about Jiwe?" The lioness would have thought twice about stealing someone's food back when she was still with her Pride. Now, it had become an almost daily occurrence. She didn't want to return empty handed and risk going without herbs.

"Food can wait for now. This has to do with the plans we told you about earlier," Shukrani said, looking intently at her.

Rahisi's smile faded quickly, and she shook her head. "Is this about the mule thing? I thought we'd been through this already. I said no, remember?"

Kiume and Shukrani both chuckled in unison.

"I don't know what gave you the impression that you actually had a choice. Either we go ahead with our plan, or you and that cub of yours can kiss your herbs good-bye."

Rahisi frowned and tried to keep eye contact, but failed miserably. "Maybe then we'll just go and look for some other Pride to join," she said, her empty threats making no impression on the lions.

"And your addiction? I don't think other prides will take kindly to a filthy oil-head like you," Shukrani taunted.

Rahisi bared her teeth. "I can't believe you're the only guys dealing herbs-" she mumbled, but couldn't finish her phrase.

Shukrani took Rahisi's jaw firmly and held it tight. "Yes, we do. We control the business. All it takes is a word from me and Kiume, and you'll never see a herb in your life again." He then released the lioness roughly.

"Besides," Kiume added, "You harbour the idea that you can simply walk away... But surely you must know we cannot let you do that anymore! You know too much. It's too risky. You could try and sell us out to the Rangers, and we can't let that happen."

Rahisi stopped growling, realizing the position she had gotten herself in. It seemed that the only way to leave this dealing gang was through death itself. She had never been a very brave lioness, and she certainly didn't want to die this way. But would she be selfish enough to accept what Kiume and Shukrani had proposed?

Her train of thought was interrupted when Shukrani said, "Now be a sweetheart, and call that cub of yours. Getting the herbs for your next fix will depend on your full cooperation, as well as hers."

Rahisi admitted defeat. She was not proud of what she was about to do, but the prospect of not getting her fix was more than she could handle at this point. She roared loudly, calling for her daughter. "Jiwe? Jiwe come here!"

Not long after, Jiwe came running to her, looking excited. "What's up? Dinner time already?" She had kept her promise about eating a little bit every day, but even then, Jiwe looked thinner than before. The little amounts she ate were not enough to fatten her up.

Shukrani and Kiume both had a nasty grin plastered in their faces, as they enticed Rahisi to go on.

"Well, Jiwe, the thing is... before we eat, Shuk and Kiume have asked us a huge favor. You'll need to help them out with something really important."

"Huh? Like what? Diggin' up them herbs again?" the cub asked, intrigued.

Rahisi shook her heard. "No... This time you'll need to hide 'em, real good!" she said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Oh, that's new... Why?"

"Well, they need to transport the herbs to another place, but if other animals see them, they will try to take them from us. We don't want that to happen, right? You know what that means..."

"We won't get no herbs for ourselves, and no food..." Jiwe droned, already knowing the punishment for failing to do a chore properly.

"That's right. Er... The thing is, you will be hiding the herbs inside yourself this time. You understand how important this task is, right? You'll be doing the most difficult thing in this mission!" Rahisi went on, trying to sell this idea to Jiwe as if it was something to be excited and proud of.

Jiwe tilted her head for a moment, and then turned to look at Shukrani and Kiume with a curious expression. The lions simply stared down at her, looking rather imposing.

"You will have to swallow a few pouches made of very tough hide," Rahisi explained, "You'll keep them hidden in your tummy and when it's safe and no one's watching, you can throw them back up. Easy, right?" The lioness didn't feel like going into all the details and risks involved in the process, keeping that information to herself. They called the material _dealer's hide_ and it was indeed impossible to digest. Carrying a pouch of it inside one's stomach was be do-able, if slightly uncomfortable. But Rahisi was sure that Jiwe wouldn't be concealing just one.

Jiwe scratched her head for a moment, as she tried to remember why this sounded so familiar. She then opened her eyes wide in realization. "Oh, I know! I've seen 'em pouches before. A leopard puked one, and all the herbs were inside it! It looked really yucky on the outside, but the herbs inside were all nice n' clean."

"Exactly," Rahisi nodded encouragingly, "So? Are you up to the task then?"

The cub thought for a moment. It couldn't be all that bad; she had thrown up hairballs before, and the discomfort usually only lasted for a few minutes. Perhaps, if this was such an important chore, as Rahisi had put it, Jiwe could get something extra out of it. She wondered whether trying to play this game with the likes of Kiume and Shukrani could result in trouble, but since she had been doing such a good job lately, and they were both happy with her performance, Jiwe went ahead and risked it.

She turned to Shukrani and Kiume again, giving them a little, devious grin. "Okay, I'll do it, but since this task is so important and I'll be carryin' all the stuff by myself, then I want twice as much herbs."

Rahisi went pale, not sure how the two leaders would react to such a cheeky statement. But the two lions only burst into laughter and shook their heads, as if not believing what they just heard.

"You have some nerve, kid," Kiume said, "I don't think anyone here has attempted to haggle with us that way."

Jiwe just grinned back at them and said, "C'mon... I've been a good girl, innit? I've done everythin' ya told me and I don't cry or complain anymore."

"That is true," Kiume said, and glanced at his partner, "She's quite the tracker, too."

"Fine, you'll get extra share of herbs," Shukrani added after a brief moment of silence, "but only if you do exactly what we say. And you will need to be a very good liar, too! If anyone asks if we're transporting herbs-"

"Herbs? What's herbs, mom? Is that like antelope? Can we chase one?" Jiwe interrupted, adopting a playful pose and pretending to be blissfully innocent and ignorant about the herb business. It appeared that lying came naturally to her. She didn't sound nervous and she certainly wasn't over-acting the innocent-cub role.

Shukrani chuckled and nodded in approval. He pointed with a claw at Jiwe, saying, "I like her. She'll go far in this business, if she's smart."

Jiwe smiled at Rahisi proudly, who didn't appear amused in the slightest. Rahisi knew that the Bosses would keep demanding more and more from them. She wondered sadly just at what age would they start selling Jiwe's body to the customers too.

Jiwe's smile faded, wondering why her mother seemed so down all of a sudden. But she was quickly distracted by Kiume, who suggested going to eat, now that business was sorted out.

The small Pride returned to where Rahisi had left the stolen food, and they continued discussing their plans over dinner, instructing Jiwe what to do and what to say in case they encountered any Rangers out there.

Rahisi wished she had been strong enough to put an end to all this right away, but instead, as usual, she sought solace in the herbs that Kiume and Shukrani gave her later that night. By the time she came back to her senses, she found the two lions and Jiwe were ready to leave.

Rahisi felt her heart shrinking when she saw Jiwe looking sick and miserable from carrying more pouches inside than her little body could handle. Rahisi swallowed with difficulty and was about to protest, but a mere stern glance from Shukrani was enough to silence the meek lioness.

"We won't be back for a few days. Don't try anything funny, we've got eyes all over the place," he warned Rahisi, "We will send Kuwasi to inform you when we're returning so make sure to have food ready by then."

Rahisi nodded, and bent over to give Jiwe a lick on her head. "You sure you still want to do this?"

Jiwe looked up and nodded silently, although she didn't look as determined as the day before. She tried to speak, but the nausea was too bad that she kept her mouth tightly shut, for fear that she would throw up all the pouches in one go.

Rahisi watched them leave, secretly hoping that Jiwe wouldn't be able to handle the role of herb-mule, and they would just return and think of a better plan. But a couple of days went by and there was no sign of them or her cub.

* * *

Kiume and Shukrani had to adapt their plan, seeing that Jiwe was having problems keeping up the act of a happy, healthy cub travelling with relatives. Instead, they would stick to the story of them searching for a friendly Pride to see if they could help the sick cub.

Jiwe looked sickly all right, with her ribs now sticking out visibly, and drooling uncontrollably. She had a slow gate, and couldn't walk in a straight line. Somewhere halfway, the cub lost all control and she threw up violently. Pouch after pouch came back out, looking gross, but otherwise intact.

When she was done being sick, Shukrani approached her and snarled, baring his teeth in the process, "I thought you said you could do this job!"

"I'm sorry, yo... I couldn't hold 'em back," Jiwe said, trying hard not to burst into tears.

Kiume looked around nervously. "We can't stop here, what do we do? Should we return?"

Shukrani shook his head. "No, we have to keep on going. Jiwe will just have to try harder, isn't that right, Jiwe?"

Jiwe looked at him, her eyes pleading at him not to go through with the plan. This had been a lot worse than she had imagined, and she was looking forward to going back home and take an Oil-Leaf -which she wouldn't get if she didn't complete this task. Jiwe could now begin to understand what Mwezi had said, about addictions controlling one's life.

The cub finally looked down and sighed, defeated. "Yes, Shuk."

"Good. Swallow them all up again, hurry up now."

Jiwe stared at the filthy looking pouches and felt her stomach making a turn just at the sight of them. _Double amount of herbs, double amount of herbs,_ she thought, trying to give herself courage. Thinking of how awesome she would feel once she took her next Oil-Leaf, the cub closed her eyes tight and she started swallowing the pouches once more. Jiwe concentrated her best on keeping them down.

They resumed their trip and as expected, they eventually encountered a few Rangers along the way. One of them summoned the rest and within no time, seven cheetahs had ambushed them.

They began questioning the two lions, who seemed to be cooperating and not putting up a fight at all.

"We're just passing through," Shukrani explained, while a cheetah examined his mane closely, checking for concealed objects, "the girl's not feeling well and we were hoping to find a Pride to help."

"Open your mouth," the cheetah ordered.

Shukrani did so, allowing the cheetah a clear view of the inside.

They did a similar check-up with Kiume, and then focused on Jiwe, who just sat there, staring at the cheetahs through half-closed eyes, drooling from her mouth once again.

"Oh, dear," one of the cheetahs said, inspecting the cub closely, "she does look terrible, when was the last time she ate?"

"She eats every day, but she can't hold anything down. I'd watch out if I were you, her vomit is rather explosive and we have no idea if it's contagious," Shukrani replied, sounding genuinely concerned, for a change.

The cheetah nodded and looked at Jiwe once again. "Hey, little one, do you know these two guys?"

"Of course I do," Jiwe croaked, "They be my Pride, we live together."

The cheetah, trained to look for rehearsed answers, continued asking questions, to determine if this cub legitimately belonged with the two males.

"Can you open your mouth for me, sweetie?"

Jiwe took a deep breath and did so, praying to all the stars in heaven that they wouldn't be able to see the pouches down her throat.

"Great, thanks. Now tell me, where's your mom?"

"Back at home," Jiwe answered promptly, "she said she'd have dinner waitin' for us when we come back."

"That's good. Now, can you tell me, is anyone of you concealing herbs of some sort?" the cheetah blurted out out of the blue, monitoring the cub's response intently.

"Herbs? Like grass 'n plants 'n such?" Jiwe said, looking thoughtful, "Well... I've been eatin' some grass, 'cause they said it'd help against my upset tummy, only I don't think it's helped much... I still feel like crap. And I haven't puked or pooped the grass out yet, so yeah, I guess you can say it's still kinda inside me. Why ya ask? Is that a bad thing?"

The cheetah chuckled after listening to Jiwe's blunt yet innocent description of events. Jiwe looked calm, and her demeanour didn't betray the fact that there was a huge amount of illegal stuff threatening to burst out of her mouth any minute now.

The cheetah gave her a warm smile and decided to let the lions go. "This cub needs help for sure, so we won't detain you any further. Good luck and have a safe trip."

Kiume approached Jiwe and said, "Come on, I'll carry you the rest of the way so you can rest." He then picked up the cub by her neck, and carried on with their journey.

Shukrani bid the cheetahs good day, and joined Kiume, smirking to himself.

Once they were far enough, Kiume lowered Jiwe to the ground. "You can make it on your own, we're almost there anyway."

Jiwe waddled behind them, and ventured to ask, "They checked our mouths and your manes and stuff... Why didn't the cheetahs inspect our tummies? They could've tried and make us throw up, innit?"

"That's because nobody but our Pride knows about the Dealer's Hide. It's our big secret," Kiume said, sounding rather proud of his discovery, "Only we know it's possible to hide herbs within our bodies, and we want to keep it that way. As long as the Rangers still think that we still carry the stuff in our manes or in our mouths, we'll be safe."

Jiwe nodded, and looked at them for a moment. "Why aren't ya guys carrying stuff inside ya? How come I'm doin' all the work then?"

Shukrani let out a loud laugh when he replied, "Well, it's a lousy job, and lousy jobs are meant for the addicts, like you. We're just here to negotiate and close the deal."

Jiwe frowned, realizing that her mom had been lying when she painted such a pretty picture of the task she'd have to complete. "Um, That's kinda unfair..." she finally muttered.

"Well, we're the Bosses. We wouldn't be if we still had to carry out jobs like this one, now, would we?" Shukrani said.

"This is also good training for you, Jiwe," Kiume added, "If you are to be a good dealer one day, you'll have to conceal the herbs this way, and you'll have to be able to keep a straight face and pretend that nothing's bothering you in your tummy. You get used to it eventually, but you need to practice first."

Jiwe perked her ears at Kiume with curiosity. "Ya really think I could be a good dealer?"

Kiume nodded. "From what I've seen, I think so, but you'll have to keep on working hard and not question our decisions. Got that?"

"Yeah, got it," Jiwe replied, and remained quiet after that.

They finally reached their destination, and Jiwe was relieved to be able to throw up all the pouches once more. Now that it was safe, the two lions then proceeded to rinse them, slice them open, and conceal the herbs inside their manes, mouths and ears. Afterwards, they headed to the meeting point.

The exchange went very well. The two lions showed off the gear to the other Pride, and they seemed impressed by the quality of the stock. A few of them tried the plants, and they pretty much decided they wanted more of it. They established a business link and would regularly send messengers to the Paka Pride to collect more herbs. They also agreed on a payment of wildebeest meat, which was more common in this area.

The Paka lions were treated to dinner for their trouble, as well as a comfortable place to spend the night without being disturbed. Jiwe ate a bit once her stomach settled down, and then snuggled next to Kiume for warmth, since her thin body had begun having problems regulating its own temperature.

They made their way back home the next day, and Jiwe, feeling much better, decided that if doing this meant she could get more herbs to enjoy, she would definitely do it again. She also liked the prospect of doing more than just digging in the dirt looking for roots or mushrooms. Becoming a dealer sounded like a lot more fun than that.

Once they reached the Paka territory, Jiwe was rewarded not only with two Oil-Leaves, as promised, but Shukrani also gave her a few new herbs for her to experiment with. After Jiwe had tried them all in the course of several days, she was definitely looking forward to doing more chores for them, and continued to work as a herb-mule from that day on.

Rahisi, while not happy with the situation, saw that Jiwe was handling everything rather well, and seemed to be a lot more enthusiastic about her role in this Pride for now. On her more lucid days, Rahisi felt sad knowing that poor Jiwe couldn't have known better; she had no point of comparison between a real, loving Pride, and this dysfunctional one they were living in. Perhaps it was for the better. At least Jiwe seemed content for now.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

Kiume's character sheet is now available here: fav . me / d665hbf (remove the spaces!)


	6. The Makings of a Dealer

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 6: The Makings of a Dealer**

Months went by with little change in regards to what Jiwe was supposed to do for the Pride. She continued concealing herbs within her, and assisting the Bosses with distant deals, even after her _innocent cub charm_ began to disappear. Jiwe was quickly becoming a tall and lanky adolescent. The lack of attention that Rahisi gave Jiwe during her cubhood, resulted in her having little to no manners. There was nothing lady-like about Jiwe, on the contrary, she was a real tomboy. She was loud, she cursed a lot, burped, and didn't care what others would think or say about her. The Oil-Leaf continued to increase her self-confidence, and as long as she felt happy, nothing else mattered much to her.

The importance of daily grooming was just a distant memory from her younger days, meaning that Jiwe seldom groomed herself. Nobody else was interested in keeping her clean either, making Jiwe look very dirty and unkempt.

Her addiction also had made sure that Jiwe remained as skinny as could be. Her looks had earned her the nickname of 'bonebag', but she didn't seem to mind and took it with a grain of salt.

Shukrani and Kiume had been worried that the Rangers might be less soft with her now that she was getting older, and her looks were far from pleasing to the eye, not to mention the crude way she carried herself. But they both had to admit, despite all her defects, Jiwe was also very intelligent and friendly. She had a way to get along with the other animals, even if she wasn't educated or well-spoken. Whenever they encountered a Ranger, Jiwe would immediately strike a conversation, make jokes, compliment the Rangers somehow, and it always seemed to yield good results.

However, Jiwe's physique and bubbly personality became so recognizable, that the Bosses wondered whether it would be smart to keep bringing her along to these exchanges. It was only a matter of time before they encountered a Ranger that they had met before, and perhaps they would get suspicious as to why Jiwe kept travelling back and forth. Besides, Jiwe's body had now begun to show clear signs of herb-abuse, especially on her forelegs.

Jiwe suggested saying that her bald patches were caused by mange, but her skinny frame, as well as the greenish stains on her forepaws, gave her bad habit away. Shukrani finally made the decision to switch to a different addict to use as herb-mule, a more inconspicuous one, and he ordered Jiwe to stay behind and lay low for a while.

"See if your mother can teach you how to hunt in the meantime," Shukrani had told her.

Jiwe didn't really mind staying behind and not having to swallow all those pouches. The older she got, the more pouches she was forced to transport, so she was looking forward to doing something else for now. Besides, perhaps she could finally spend some more time with her mother. They had become so distant lately, Jiwe couldn't remember when was the last time they had a good chat. She liked the idea of learning to hunt, too. Hopefully Rahisi would also be up to it.

The young lioness began seeking contact with Rahisi, but she noticed that her mother had become very distant and withdrawn. If she didn't have to hunt for the bosses, she would leave in the morning, and would come back late in the evening, looking extremely down and exhausted. Jiwe had barely any time to say hi, before Rahisi was already crushing an Oil-Leaf and curling up into a ball to trip the rest of the night away.

This kept occurring day after day, and Jiwe, who was not travelling anymore, had finally noticed the pattern. She tried asking Rahisi about it, but she refused to talk, and even told Jiwe to mind her own business and leave her alone.

Still very curious, and wondering what Rahisi was up to all day, Jiwe decided to follow her one day. She was not very good at stalking, so she was forced to keep a good distance between them. Rahisi never noticed she was being followed, and walked towards a more secluded area, with her head down and her tail hanging limply.

From her body language, Jiwe could tell Rahisi was not happy at all. Maybe she also had to swallow pouches, Jiwe wondered, as she tried to get closer without being seen.

Rahisi had disappeared behind a thicket of bushes. As Jiwe got closer, she noticed there were other animals there. Rahisi was not alone, she seemed to be speaking to someone in hushed voices. Jiwe's curiosity got piqued and moved on forward, until she could peek through the foliage.

Jiwe saw a strange lion standing by Rahisi's side, nuzzling her. Jiwe saw how Rahisi pulled away slightly, and the lion forced her to stay put. Jiwe carried on watching in silence, unsure of what was going on. All she could tell for sure was that the lion was causing Rahisi a lot of pain and discomfort, but her mother didn't fight back and just closed her eyes tight until the lion got tired and left.

Jiwe couldn't help feeling worried about her mom, and was about to go comfort her, when another lion walked through the thicket of bushes and dropped a piece of meat next to a rock.

Jiwe crouched once more, holding her breath to remain unseen. She hadn't noticed the meat before, but she could now clearly see two pieces lying next to each other.

The lioness watched as Rahisi once again had to endure a lot of pain. It didn't seem to last long, but Jiwe could tell that by the time four or five pieces of meat had piled up, Rahisi had been unable to stop crying, even if she seemed to act friendly towards the passing lions.

The cub couldn't bear the sight of her mother in pain any longer and she headed back towards the den, a thousand questions circling inside her head. She was so distracted that she almost crashed right into Mwezi, who had been inspecting the area for Catnip sprouts, as per orders from Shukrani.

"Oi, watch where you're going, Bonebag," Mwezi said, pretending to be angry at Jiwe.

Jiwe looked up at her startled. "Oh... Er, sorry, I was just... Never mind," the lioness said, and walked away without another word.

Mwezi raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Jiwe's unusual behaviour. She had been expecting a witty comeback or at least a rude signal. "Hey, wait a moment, what's wrong? Ya seem down, kiddo."

Jiwe looked at Mwezi over her shoulder. Despite having many acquaintances, the young lioness didn't have any close friends within the Paka territory, but Mwezi had always been nice and understanding. Perhaps she could shed some light about what she had just witnessed.

"Well, maybe ya can help me out... I think Mom's in pain but... I dunno what to do..." she told Mwezi hesitantly.

Jiwe walked back to the cheetah with a worried expression and sat in front of her. She then proceeded to describe in painstaking detail what she had seen, while Mwezi listened intently, realizing that Jiwe still had somehow managed to preserve a little bit of innocence all these months, until today.

The cheetah wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She could pretend not knowing what was going on, but knowing Jiwe, she would go asking everyone around and who knows what kind of things they would tell her. Not all the addicts around here were as friendly and caring, and many would probably try to take advantage of Jiwe's innocence.

Mwezi decided that it would be best to tell her the truth. She began by telling Jiwe about how every animal follows the same path of birth, growing up, reproduction and death. She then explained, as tactfully as possible, what mating was. She told her all about females coming into season once they are of age, and being receptive towards the males' advances. She explained how mating during season would in most cases result in cubs being born. She ended her lesson by explaining how males are always 'in season' and looking for an outlet, leading to mating for their pleasure, rather than for reproduction.

Jiwe listened to her every word. She hadn't wondered yet where baby animals came from, and had found Mwezi's teachings fascinating. However, she still didn't quite understand what this had to do with her mother, and ventured to ask, "So, ya mean those lions were mating with mom, but not for cubs? Is that it? Is that why mom wasn't havin' any fun?"

Mwezi looked away, sighing slightly. "Ya got it right, kiddo. Your momma's bein' forced to do it, and matin' outta season hurts like hell."

"Why is she doin' it, then?" Jiwe asked.

Mwezi gave the lioness a little, sad smile. "For the same reason I be huntin' for Catnip now, and ya been swallowing 'em pouches. If she don't do it, Shuk will cut her herb supply off."

For the first time, Jiwe appeared to be aware that this situation was not right. She couldn't put her paw on it, having lived in this messed-up environment all the time. But she was becoming more and more aware of the fact that the addicts around her were all being used, under the same threat: no work, no herbs. The situation began to seem rather unfair.

"Ya got any more questions, sweetie?" Mwezi said, interrupting Jiwe's train of thought.

The lioness looked at her thoughtfully, and asked, "Are ya also forced to mate with other male cheetahs, to keep Shuk and Kiume happy?"

Mwezi hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. She shrugged and tried to give it little importance. "Yeah, sometimes. But there are other prettier cheetahs out there so they don't bother ugly me too much."

"Ya think I will also have to do it, when I grow up?"

Mwezi looked at the lioness. Unless someone was attracted to a walking skeleton, she couldn't see how poor Jiwe would have any customers in that regard. But she kept her opinion to herself and stated simply, "I have no idea, sweetie, but it's best to be prepared, just in case. If it happens, try to think of happy things, and relax as much as ya can. It'll hurt less that way."

Jiwe nodded, and gave Mwezi a heartfelt head-butt. "Thanks for your help, it really means a lot, yo."

Mwezi smiled, and watched as Jiwe turned around and began walking away. A sudden idea came to her mind, and she called Jiwe back. "Hey, Bonebag... C'mere for a sec."

Jiwe traced back her steps and looked at Mwezi with curiosity.

The cheetah began scratching her head with a hind paw, until a little round bundle was dislodged from her ear. Jiwe saw it fall down on the ground and approached it with curiosity.

Mwezi pried the bundle open with her claws. It seemed to be a leaf rolled tightly, concealing Mwezi's personal herb stash. The cheetah fished between the herbs and picked out a small pink petal. She showed it to Jiwe. "Know what this is?"

Jiwe shook her head. She had seen Kiume handing her those petals, but she didn't know anything about them.

"This is an Upendi petal. Give this to your mom tomorrow, and tell her to swallow it before going to work. It'll help her through the day."

Jiwe smiled gratefully. "But what about ya? This herb's yours 'n all..."

Mwezi shrugged and smiled back. "Maybe you can share some of that yummy wildebeest meat that you guys dine on every now and then," she joked.

Jiwe laughed, and head-butted Mwezi again. She quickly hid the petal inside her mouth, between her teeth and her cheek, careful not to swallow it. "Thanks again, and see ya around!"

The cheetah watched her disappear in the distance, and resumed her search, feeling glad to have dispelled the lioness' doubts on the subject of mating, and at the same time, feeling sorry that she had to find all about it the way she did.

* * *

Jiwe decided not to confront Rahisi that evening. She would keep quiet until she could deliver the petal to her.

Rahisi finally returned to the den, carrying a bundle in her mouth, containing the meat she earned that day.

She dropped it by Shukrani's favorite sleeping spot, and walked away to her own resting place, where she proceeded to take an Oil-Leaf, as usual.

Jiwe approached and inspected the meat, counting how many bits there were in total.

"Twenty-four," Jiwe whispered to herself, feeling her eyes burning with tears, understanding now why her mother was acting the way she did.

Jiwe hid the Upendi petal somewhere safe, and as suggested by Mwezi, she gave it to Rahisi the next morning.

"Where did you get this?" Rahisi said. She hadn't taken one before, and was unsure of its effects.

Jiwe bit her lip for a moment and said, "I got it from a friend who knows what you're goin' through. She said it'd help ya get through the day."

Rahisi stared at Jiwe, but then looked away with embarrassment. "You know about that?"

Jiwe nodded, and stood on two paws to embrace Rahisi with her forepaws. She didn't say anything, but her actions spoke more than words.

Rahisi returned the embrace with one forepaw and held Jiwe closely. She began crying shortly after. "I'm so sorry for being such a crappy mother, and for not being able to get away from here..." she said between sobs.

Jiwe held her tighter and whispered, "Hey, I'm an addict too, remember? I couldn't leave even if ya wanted me too. Don't worry, mom. I love ya."

When Rahisi calmed down, she swallowed the Upendi petal and told Jiwe, "Well, here goes nothing, I'll let ya know what happened when I return."

Not long after, Jiwe was summoned to help with yet another Blackroot growth, and spent most of the day digging out bulbs. She winked at Mwezi, who was also digging nearby, but since Kiume was keeping a close eye on them, Jiwe didn't dare to say much about the little moment of bonding that she had had with Rahisi.

By nightfall, Jiwe made her way back to the den. She looked dustier and dirtier than usual, but she didn't bother with grooming herself. Instead she made a beeline for the bundle of meat that Rahisi had left there earlier. Jiwe counted the bits, feeling her heart racing. "Thirty-seven?"

The lioness made her way towards where her mother was resting. Jiwe expected to find her petrified from the Oil-Leaf, but instead, Rahisi rolled around and faced her. "Hey, Jiwe!" she greeted her enthusiastically.

"Hi, mom," Jiwe smiled back, eyeing Rahisi with curiosity. "How did it go? Did that petal help?"

"Mmmm," Rahisi said, stretching herself sensually, "Boy, it really did. You'll need to ask your friend for more of those. Tell her I'll be eternally grateful."

Jiwe chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Rahisi's unusual behaviour. She seemed content, but it was obvious that she was still under the influence of the petal, since her pupils looked very dilated, not to mention her general demeanour. She kept rolling on her back, and humming to herself.

"Well, I'll see what I can do, but I'm glad to hear you had a better day. Lotsa customers, huh?"

Rahisi shook her head. "Funny thing, there weren't too many of them, but the same guys kept coming back for more, go figure!"

Jiwe felt herself blushing, and didn't push for details, worried that her mom wouldn't be afraid to disclose too much information. Instead, she took advantage of the fact that Rahisi wasn't numb and petrified, and Jiwe lay down next to her, hoping to share some of her warmth.

Rahisi felt Jiwe cuddling next to her, and she immediately embraced her and held her close. "My, when did you grow up so much? I remember I could hide you completely between my paws, like this..."

Jiwe giggled when Rahisi placed her paws on her face playfully, and pushed them away. "Mom, I'm not a cub anymore, cut it out!"

Rahisi grinned and remained quiet for a moment, but it seemed that the petal also made her very fidgety and she couldn't stay put. In the end she busied herself grooming Jiwe for the first time in months.

"You smell horrible, you know that?" Rahisi said between licks.

"Yeah, I heard," Jiwe said, closing her eyes and enjoying her mother's attention. She would definitely need to do something nice for Mwezi. Jiwe felt she had her mom back and she couldn't be more grateful.

When Kiume and Shukrani returned, they were surprised to find Rahisi extremely welcoming and friendly. Jiwe watched her flirt, while the two of them looked at each other in surprise.

"Did you slip her a petal?" Kiume said, recognizing the symptoms of the herb right away.

"No, I swear! She must have gotten it somewhere else," Shukrani said, while Rahisi rubbed herself against his body and flipped the tip of her tail on his face invitingly.

Assuming what would happen next, Jiwe quickly excused herself, running away from the area as fast as she could. She waited by the pond, staring thoughtfully at her reflection, until the sound of distant roaring had finally faded.

When she finally returned to the lair, she found Rahisi peacefully asleep. It seemed that the effect of the petal had finally worn off, and the exhausted lioness didn't wake up at all, even after Jiwe gave her a nuzzle and a good-night kiss. Jiwe snuggled by Rahisi's side once more, and decided to skip the herbs this night, and just enjoy her mother's company.

Meanwhile, seeing the amount of meat Rahisi had brought in that day, the two Bosses agreed that it might be a good idea to include Upendi petals in Rahisi's next herb-payment. They hadn't done it before, because the petals tended to lose their effect rather quickly if the addict took them too often. They knew Rahisi's herb habit well, and were sure that the joy of the petals wouldn't last her for long, but they thought it was worth a try.

Mwezi herself wondered how Jiwe's mother would be faring, until one day, when she came home to her lair to find a nice chunk of wildebeest meat waiting for her. Mwezi could detect Jiwe's pungent scent in the area, it was obvious the lioness had been there. Mwezi grinned, and assumed that the Petal had done the trick, and things for Jiwe and her mother were looking up. The cheetah dined like a queen that day, and went to bed with a full stomach.

* * *

Kiume still wanted Jiwe to make herself more useful now that she was getting older. The hunting lessons with Rahisi had been a huge flop, and Jiwe's own attempts at trying to bring something down had ended up in disaster.

The lioness had no clue that the substance inside the Oil-Leaf had been eating at her claws too all this time. They had turned quite blunt and brittle, and would break rather easily. The lioness had little traction, she couldn't climb trees, and if she tried to hold on to running pray, she could never get a good grip. Her claws were basically useless.

After several failed attempts, Jiwe decided that hunting was not meant for her. She would need to find meat in a different way. But how? She didn't want to go down Rahisi's route, that was for sure. She'd rather spare herself the pain if it was up to her.

She wasn't able to come up with any ideas straight away, so the lioness decided to go for a walk, and see if inspiration struck along the way. She padded around the borders of the Paka territory, scanning the horizon. She had become rather good at identifying the animals that were keeping guard on the border. Birds, a rhino or two, an elephant here and there... But further down, Jiwe noticed a figure that seemed slightly out of place. It was a lonely wild-dog, pacing nervously to and fro.

_Could that be a Ranger?_ Jiwe thought, and decided to take a closer look, in case she needed to alert Shukrani.

Jiwe stared intently but she couldn't discern any other dogs or animals hiding in the wilderness. Jiwe also monitored the behaviour of the birds patrolling the area from above, but they were circling calmly. Surely they would have spotted any Rangers from up there.

Jiwe looked at the dog again. It seemed to have seen her too, and had stopped his pacing, staring at Jiwe intently.

The lioness approached and said, "Yo, ya shouldn't be here, this is Paka territory. Ya gonna get yo ass kicked hard if ya try 'n trespass."

"I don't wanna trespass... I just wanna score some herbs, and I heard this was the place to get some."

Jiwe gave him a small smile. "We don't have no stinkin' herbs here, keep on movin', pal."

"Please," the wild dog insisted, "Me 'n me buddies are dying for a fix ever since you lot uprooted all them plants by the eastern canyon. We're willing to pay the price, I mean it!"

The lioness looked at him critically, very much aware that this could be a spy of sorts.

"Get lost," Jiwe said, "Don't wanna see ya here when I come patrolling again later tonight," she said, wondering if the dog would get the hint that she would come back later.

He didn't say anything else, and Jiwe returned to the lair, to notify Shukrani about the situation.

The two lions ordered a couple of birds to go keep an eye on the dog. They returned after a while, reporting that the dog had stayed put in the same place, and eventually a few pack-mates joined him. The birds could clearly see that all these dogs were addicts. They were all hungry and thin, and had began twitching from withdrawal symptoms.

Shukrani turned to Jiwe and said, "You did very well to inform me about this. It seems that they are really addicts, looking for a fix. How would you like to take care of this exchange? See what you can get from them."

Jiwe looked at Shukrani in awe. "Ya really think I can do it?"

The lion would have never sent Jiwe to close an important deal, but he figured she could try a paw at dealing with these pathetic losers on her own. "Well, you'll have to learn sooner or later, right?"

Jiwe smiled and nodded, looking thoughtful. Perhaps this was the solution to her hunting problem. She could ask for meat in exchange for herbs. It sounded like the perfect plan to her. She was glad that Shukrani had trusted her with the task, and was determined to make the best of it.

Jiwe returned that evening to the spot where the wild dog had been waiting for her eagerly. The lioness had swallowed one pouch of Dealer's Hide containing various herbs. She didn't trust the dog completely, so she decided to go for the safest method of concealing them in this case.

The dog began wagging his tail at the sight of the skinny lioness. "Please, tell me ya changed yar mind... I'll pay ya anythin', I swear!"

"I want meat," Jiwe said calmly, "bring me some, and then we'll talk business, yo."

The wild dog perked up his ears. "My pack just killed somethin', we'll gladly share!" With a series of loud, high-pitch howls, the dog summoned the rest of his pack-members, putting Jiwe on edge. He could be calling the Rangers, for all she knew.

The lioness had tensed up considerably and was ready to run back to the safety of the Paka Territory, but she calmed down when she saw three more dogs join the first one. The birds were right. They all looked very thin and tired. If these were Rangers, Jiwe was sure that even her, with her terrible fighting skills and her brittle claws, could easily fend them off.

The dogs deposited their fresh catch by Jiwe's paws. It was a fat and plump warthog, still warm to the touch. The dogs had barely eaten anything, but their addiction was much worse, and they were willing to just give their food away in exchange for some precious herbs.

Jiwe inspected the catch, and appeared satisfied. "What herbs are ya lookin' for?"

The dogs all barked their order at once. "Blackroot!" she heard two of them say, followed by "Mushrooms, too!"

"Oh, and how about... What's that thing again? Tree-bark! Always wanted to try that shit..."

"It's called Bark-Powder," Jiwe corrected the last dog, chuckling slightly. "Fine, just wait here," she added, and went to hide behind some thick bushes, where she proceeded to throw up the pouch and fish out the herbs they had requested.

She returned shortly after, and couldn't help but chuckle after seeing the dogs' faces, lighting up at the sight of the forbidden herbs. She knew the feeling all too well and could easily relate to them. "Well, go have some fun, yo!" she said, winking at them.

The alpha dog looked at Jiwe and gave her a toothy grin.

"I like ya. What would ya say to bein' our official dealer?" he said, "We could meet here every fortnight. We will bring ya some meat and you can bring us more of this stuff."

Jiwe felt rather proud of herself. She had managed to score her first customers, making her feel rather important.

The lioness nodded at the dog, saying, "All right! It's official then."

Before they parted ways, Jiwe suddenly came up with an idea. "Hey, if ya know of anyone else that might need some gear, will ya send 'em straight to me? I might throw in some extra herbs for ya, if ya help me out spreading the word."

The dog nodded enthusiastically. "Will do! What's yer name, babe?"

"_Babe_?" Jiwe chuckled at how smooth that sounded, "Well, um, ya can call me J."

"All right, J, we'll keep in touch. Be sure to keep an eye on this area here!"

The dogs disappeared as fast as they came. Jiwe returned to where she had thrown up the Dealer's Hide. She grouped all the remaining herbs and closed the pouch tight, using her teeth and her paws. She swallowed the pouch again without even pulling a grimace. She had gotten used to this disgusting activity and it didn't bother her anymore in the slightest. Jiwe then picked up the warthog in her muzzle, and headed back to the lair.

"Here," she told Shukrani and Kiume after dropping the meat at their paws, "My first meat-payment!"

Kiume stared at the meat, and began salivating almost instantly. "Well done, Bonebag, well done!"

Jiwe regurgitated the pouch once again, to show them exactly which herbs she had sold and how much.

Shukrani inspected closely the contents of the pouch as well as the meat Jiwe got as payment, and he nodded in approval. "Not too shabby, indeed. So, do you think they will keep coming back for more herbs?"

"Oh, Shuk, I _know_ so," Jiwe said, feeling very confident.

The two lions began eating, and Jiwe lay down to wait patiently for her turn to grab a nibble.

A few minutes later, Kuwasi suddenly landed down in front of the three lions, looking a bit flustered. "Guys, I dunno what's going on out there, but the rhinos by the eastern border have reported a group of ten animals or so, all looking for someone called _J_, and they're all carrying different types of meat. They say it's for payment."

The lioness was rather surprised to hear this, since she hadn't expected the word of her dealer services to spread around that quickly. But she wanted to play it cool in front of the Bosses, so she stood up and said nonchalantly, "Well, I think amma gonna need more herbs to trade, yo! Can I have more pouches?"

Shukrani and Kiume both raised their eyebrows and turned to look at Jiwe, who had the biggest, cheekiest grin they had ever seen on her face.


	7. A New Friend

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 7: A New Friend**

Jiwe's popularity as a dealer had increased tremendously, and she found herself very busy making deals with a lot of low-ranked animals who seemed more confident to interact with someone who was more or less like them. A lot of those animals had always felt quite intimidated by Shukrani, Kiume, and their bulky dealers, but Jiwe had opened a new door. As such, the skinny addict began attracting a lot of attention.

With the Bosses' approval, she had claimed four small territories of her own within the borders of the Paka territory itself. They were meant to be some type of neutral ground where outsiders could linger and speak to Jiwe, without being afraid of being chased away by Shukrani's guards.

These neutral spots were located north, south, east and west of their borders, and Jiwe would visit them every few days. The animals would gather there, and bring her meat as payment.

The food began piling up nicely, sorting out Jiwe's hunting issues. However, at some point, she got so much meat, that some of it was going to waste. Jiwe thought that perhaps she could ask for other things in return, and discovered that the animals had a lot of other things to trade.

She loved dealing with primates the most, since they were always very resourceful and could make beautiful things with their hands. They began bringing in payment in the form of beautiful flower necklaces woven out from leaves and twigs, flea-removing sessions for all four members of the Pride, fermented fruit-juice of varieties that Shukrani and Kiume had never tasted before, and actual herbal remedies, to ease the hang-over caused by the aforementioned juice.

But what Jiwe liked the most, was feeling appreciated and popular. It was a similar feeling as the one she got when doing an Oil-Leaf. She started receiving greetings from random animals as she walked by, and she never had to venture far to get new customers. They were all coming to her, just via word of mouth.

Unfortunately, the Rangers began to notice an increased influx of animals travelling to Paka territory, and they became extremely active on the northern and western borders. The amount of customers dropped considerably after that. Jiwe mostly missed the monkeys, who always came in from the North

Trying to come up with a plan, Jiwe decided to have a little chat with her first customer, the wild dog, whose name turned out to be Paku.

"Say, ya don't happen to know any monkeys in your territory who might be into my stuff?" she asked him.

Paku shook his head, busying himself with the Bark-Powder that he had obtained from Jiwe earlier that day. "I'm afraid I already told all the addicts I know about ya, and in turn they've told their friends and stuff. I think ya gonna have to do something about them Rangers first, if ya wanna keep them animals visitin' the other borders."

Jiwe nodded. "Shuk's already taking care of the Rangers, from what I heard. But in the meantime I'd like to keep my lil' business runnin'," she said, watching Paku distractedly as he snorted the Bark-Powder through his nose, and sneezed slightly.

"Eheheh! Whoo! Good stuff, as usual. Man, how I wish ya were a wild dog, cause I think I'm fallin' in love with ya!" he said, running around Jiwe in circles, becoming rather euphoric all of a sudden.

Jiwe just shook her head at him, laughing slightly. She then waited in silence, deep in thought, until Paku had calmed down a bit. "I guess I just need to reach out even further. How about ya start telling the non-addicts about me?" Jiwe suggested.

Paku raised an eyebrow, looking incredulous. "What? Wouldn't that be too risky? What if they tell a Ranger?"

"Well, ya know the Rangers never venture inside Paka territory. They know that Shuk's army would stomp 'em in seconds. And you don't need to advertise the gear either, just kinda drop hints here and there, especially around youngsters, try to avoid the old farts."

"What sorta hints ya had in mind?" Paku said, looking confused and unsure of Jiwe's plan.

"Well," Jiwe shrugged, "Like, get one of your healthier-looking mates to have a convo with someone, somewhere in a crowded place, like, right by the waterhole where everyone can hear."

"Okay, so far so good, go on."

"They can say things like, _I heard from some birds that some low-life dealer would be handing out herb freebies at a party! What is this world coming to!_" she added, faking an indignant tone, "Then just kinda casually drop the time 'n place, and that's it!"

Paku chuckled, and nodded along. "Are ya really gonna have a party and hand out freebies?"

"Why not?" Jiwe replied, "I've got enough extra meat to share, and I've got a lotta herbs saved up in me own personal stash. I only take the Oil-Leaves regularly anyway. The rest of the stuff, meh, I only use it every now and then, so I can miss it. But, once they take the freebie and get hooked, I'll start sellin' em proper."

Paku liked her plan. It definitely sounded tempting, and perhaps an animal or two would be curious enough to come and check Jiwe's party after all. But he was also aware that some animals wouldn't just sit by and let it happen.

"What if some animals show up, asking for them freebies, but they're actually, like, Rangers incognito?" Paku said, adopting a conspiratorial tone.

"Ya got a good point... I'll just ask a couple of them rhinos to hang about, just in case they need to do some stompin'."

Paku let out a mean little chuckle, imagining a few Rangers being stomped hard into the ground. He then looked at Jiwe and said, "Okay, I'll see what we can do to spread the word about your party. I expect I'll get a... little extra, for my trouble, right? I'm assumin' I'm invited, too?"

Jiwe smirked and nodded. "Of course ya are, pal. Just make sure lots of animals come, especially newbies! I won't be givin' any freebies to animals I've sold shit to earlier. Oh, and if the party is a success, I'll give ya an extra ya won't forget. Just make sure to find a wild dog girl willin' to spend some quality time with ya."

"Ohoho," Paku replied, wiggling his eyebrows slightly, knowing exactly what Jiwe was on about, "I'll do my best! So when ya want this gatherin' to happen?"

"Tomorrow, right here at the eastern border, after sundown. Make sure ya use some birds to spread the word!"

Paku nodded and stood up to leave. "No prob, I'll get to work on it right away. Talk to ya later, J."

Jiwe watched the wild-dog retreating into the distance, and turned around to head back to the lair. She decided to keep this secret from Shukrani and Kiume, and surprise them later with an influx of new customers.

The lioness spent the next day organizing everything. She had managed to persuade a grumpy rhino to stick around nearby, just in case she might need some help. The rhino had refused at first, but Jiwe was able to bribe him with a bit of blackroot from her own stash.

She then brought the excess meat that would go to waste soon if nobody ate it, and piled it up nicely next to a tree, in the shade. She trampled the ground here and there, making a few comfortable spots to lie on. Finally, not feeling like throwing up pouches every time somebody asked for a herb, Jiwe walked to a big, flat rock, and dug up a hole behind it, where she hid her stash. She covered it up with a few small stones, while the big rock would serve as counter. The lioness made sure everything was ready, and sat down to wait, feeling nervous and excited.

Sundown finally came, and Paku was the first one to arrive.

"Well, we did our best, now let's hope someone will show up... Mind if I help meself to the meat?" he said, winking at Jiwe.

"Go ahead, just save some for the guests, yo."

The dog walked to the meat pile and picked up one of the freshest pieces. He then spotted one of the areas that Jiwe had trampled and softened up earlier, and smiled. "I like what you did with the place, looks nice and inviting," he said through a mouthfull.

Jiwe smiled and joined the dog, sitting close to him to try and steal some of his body heat, as usual. Paku already knew that the lioness had absolutely no concept of personal space; he was used to her antics already. But he had to turn his nose slightly. He could only hope that Jiwe's peculiar smell wouldn't chase any guests away.

"Where's your lady-friend? I thought you'd bring someone along?" Jiwe asked, oblivious to the discomfort her scent was producing on the dog, thanks to his highly developed sense of smell.

"She might come later, we'll see," Paku replied, concentrated on his meat.

They enganged in a bit of chitchat, laughing at dirty jokes and making fun of notorious animals, Shukrani and Kiume included. They were still chuckling at each other's impersonations, until they heard someone clearing their throat in the distance.

Jiwe and Paku turned towards the source of the sound and they saw a shy-looking, young leopard, shuffling his paws on the ground nervously. To Jiwe, he looked as if he had never broken a rule in his life, and was terrified to do it now.

"Um, I heard about some party... Is this it?" he asked, looking at the deserted area.

"Sure, ya come to the right place. You're the first one to arrive, ya know," Jiwe told him, motioning for him to come over. "I had something special planned for my first guest."

Jiwe went behind her rock, and brought back half a coconut, with a little bit of fermented fruit juice in it.

She placed the coconut half in front of the leopard, who sniffed it carefully, wrinkling his nose slightly. But he quickly brightened up.

"Oh, wow, this is booze!" he said, chuckling nervously, realizing that the strange smell he had picked up came from Jiwe, and not from the concoction he had been offered to drink. "For me? Really?" he added, looking uneasy.

"Yup, drink up!" the lioness said.

The leopard lapped the alcoholic drink up, and seemed to be less nervous after it kicked in.

Little by little, more animals started joining in, but the party was far from lively. Jiwe had already predicted a bit of a tense atmosphere, after all, no one knew each other, and they were all nervous about that they were going to do. So trying to break the ice, Jiwe welcomed each and every animal personally, and tried to answer any questions they had about herbs before actually handing out any of the stuff.

The guests had perked up at the sight of free meat, too, and they began bonding with each other as they dined together. Jiwe let out a satisfied sigh once she saw the ice slowly melting in front of her eyes. They were all still very stiff, but she hoped the herbs would remedy that later.

To Jiwe's surprise, a few monkeys from the east joined in too, and they seemed to be as smart and ingenious as their northern cousins. They decided to help to liven the party up further by making rhytmical music, clicking sticks and stones together and chanting along.

When one of the guests was finally brave enough to inquire about the free herbs, Jiwe went behind her stone counter, and began handing gear out to them. She also reassured them that they were safe to try the herbs right there and then, so as not to be seen or caught by relatives or such.

Within no time, Jiwe's stiff and awkward party had taken a different turn. Animals of different races were bonding like never before. Others were jumping and prancing to the rhythm of the monkey's improvised music, some were chasing after invisible things, while a few were simply laying on their backs, staring up at the starry sky, wondering about the meaning of life. Even the monkeys' music became a whole lot more experimental after a while, when they decided to try and get sounds out of whatever object they could find nearby.

One by one, the animals began falling asleep, exhausted, but content. Those who were still feeling in a caring, loving mood cuddled all together to sleep in a huge pile, keeping each other warm. Jiwe spotted Paku and his wild dog lady friend amongst them, and smiled to herself, thinking, _Well done, pal._

By the time everyone sobered up the morning after, Jiwe bid them good bye, and told them, "Well, I hope ya enjoyed _J's Freebie Night._ There will be another party soon, and you're all welcome. Only, ya understand that I need payment to keep on getting herbs for ya, right? So, if ya wanna come, ya gotta bring me something nice. And, because I'm awesome, I'll even make ya guys a nice deal: bring a friend, and I'll give ya a discount!"

The animals walked away, most of them hooked on the herbs, some more than others. There were a few who wished the next party was tonight already, and there were others who felt like _let's try that again sometime._ But each and every one of them was certain that they would be contacting Jiwe again sooner or later. Her plan had been a success.

Word of J's parties spread like wild fire, and by the time she organized another one, so many animals came that she even had to run back to the den and ask Shukrani for more pouches.

The Bosses already knew that Jiwe was up to something, but given the success of her crazy plans so far, they played along with it, and didn't regret it when Jiwe returned back home with all sorts of payment, from exotic fermented fruits, meat, ointments to heal wounds, potions that would cure headaches, and more.

The lioness quickly became the Bosses' pet. She was their favorite dealer, which earned Jiwe a bit of jealousy from fellow dealers, who no matter how hard they tried, they could never sell as much stuff as she did. They even attempted copying her method and organize a party somewhere, but it was a big flop. Their parties were planned right in the middle of nowhere, and the dealers organizing them all looked like thugs. There were no _freebies for the newbies_ either. So in the end, the animals who actually were brave enough to go there felt so intimidated that they ended up leaving almost right after they had arrived, without even buying any herbs.

Jiwe didn't care at all about others being jealous of her success, she mainly concentrated on dealing as much as she could. She realized that the more she earned, the happier the Bosses were. And the happier the bosses were, the more concessions she could get from them. Her latest request had been to have Rahisi removed from the prostitution ring.

Shukrani wasn't happy with this request, but after some consideration, he told Jiwe, "Fine, but if your dealing performance goes down, we'll put you back in her place. Understood?"

Jiwe, feeling extremely confident and sure of herself, accepted the terms, and freed Rahisi from her job as prostitute.

Jiwe welcomed her mother home that night, and gave her the good news. Rahisi looked startled and grateful, but Jiwe could see that her mother was not the same lioness she used to be.

As predicted by Shukrani, Rahisi had begun using the Upendi Petals way too often, and she built a resistance to its effects. Unfortunately, she didn't build a resistance to the side-effects. Rahisi began taking petal after petal, trying to get the same feeling as the first time, but instead they were making her body react in odd ways, without any of the pleasant feelings she had experienced before. Instead, her nose and mouth would start bleeding at random moments and for no reason, she shivered and shook as if she was freezing, even under the hot Savannah sun, and she never came into season again. The poor lioness looked like a wreck, and felt even worse.

Rahisi couldn't take it anymore, and in her desperation, she began trying all sorts of herbs, combining them together, with disastrous results. Her mind had been deeply affected, and Rahisi had become a shadow of the lioness she once was. She would stare for hours on end without saying a word, and had problems remembering things. She was not capable of hunting anymore, and began losing weight quickly, looking almost as thin as Jiwe did nowadays.

Jiwe did her best to comfort her mother, even if sometimes making contact with her was just out of the question. Jiwe would still chat and tell her all about her day, and the animals she'd met at her parties, even if Rahisi didn't acknowledge her presence.

Jiwe felt so bad for her, that she decided to pick up grooming again, if not on herself, on Rahisi. Keeping her clean and well fed made Jiwe feel happy, so she always did her best to take good care of her.

Jiwe was saddened whenever she heard the Bosses talking about her mother as if she was dead already. Not only that, it was as if they didn't have one single fond memory of Rahisi, and this bothered Jiwe immensely. Granted, she hadn't been the best of mothers, but she had done a lot for Kiume and Shukrani, the least they could do is have a little respect, and not say bad things about Rahisi, while Rahisi herself was still there, probably listening to their every word, and just unable to express herself further. Jiwe knew she could hear them because more often than not, tears would stream down from Rahisi's face after one of their comments.

One evening, as she took a walk on her own to clear up her mind, Jiwe couldn't help but wonder whether the Bosses would act like that towards her if she were to a mistake. So far, she had been the favorite, but seeing how they were treating her mother, it made her wonder. _They already threatened me with the prostitution ring, what other proof do I want?_ she thought sadly.

This situation had given Jiwe more determination. She would work hard, and she would not give the Bosses a reason to treat her wrong. With that thought in mind, Jiwe decided to organize a new party, since her meat payments were running low.

As usual, the word spread very quickly, and friends and newbies came together for a good time. Jiwe recognized many faces now, and greeted everyone enthusiastically. She loved having so many friends around, it made her feel very happy. Normally she wouldn't indulge in herbs while these parties were going on, but today, she felt like joining the fun with a herb or two. She had also taken an Oil-Leaf the day before, and with its poison still running inside her, Jiwe felt she was at the top of the world.

"Hey, babe, good to see ya," she greeted Mwezi, who had been reluctant to join her parties at first.

"Babe? Me? And you're high on what, exactly?" the cheetah joked, greeting Jiwe back with a friendly head-butt.

Jiwe looked around at all the happy faces, and exclaimed dreamily, "I dunno... Everyone just looks good today. They're all babes and studs."

Mwezi gave her a soft slap on the head. "Watch it, ya sound like you're in season, don't go messin' around, ya hear? Ya too young!"

"Hey, if they want me, they can have me!" Jiwe said, strutting around Mwezi, who could only laugh at the sight of the skinny lioness attempting to sway her bony hips provocatively. In a tomboy like Jiwe, it just looked extremely silly.

"Cut that out, ya don't wanna scare 'em guests away," Mwezi chuckled, "Anyway, I'm going to score some meat, so talk to ya later!"

"Yeah, see yah, babe," Jiwe said, and looked around once more. She noticed a group of three young lions, two females and a male, wandering in. Judging by their uneasy expressions, they were probably newbies, so Jiwe went to greet them in her usual cheerful, yet unpolished, manner.

"Yo, guys! Welcome to _The House of J!_" she said loudly, startling them slightly, "Lemme guess... First timers, innit?"

The three newbies nodded sheepishly. The hesitation was still clearly written on their faces, and Jiwe decided to tone it down a little.

"Hey, no need to be scared. Check everyone out, they're all havin' a good time, and ya don't have to take any herbs if ya don't feel like it. We're here to have fun, that's all!"

The lion and one of the lionesses nodded, and accepted her invitation to join the party. They decided to calm their nerves first by the meat-pile, while the other lioness remained behind, by Jiwe's side.

She looked at Jiwe and smiled nervously. "Just between us... I think I will try them, it's just... Well, I don't know what to expect. I'm just a bit nervous that it'll go wrong."

Jiwe looked at the lioness and told her, trying to sound reassuring, "I'm not handing out the real scary stuff that'll knock ya out, so don't worry. You'll always be in control of your actions, so, the moment ya had enough, ya can retreat somewhere quiet, or go take a nap. Besides, if it makes ya feel better, I promise I'll keep an eye on ya, how's that, babe?"

The lioness looked back at Jiwe and chuckled. "Um, all right, that sounds good. My name's Hanaa, by the way. I'm guessing you're the famous J?"

"Yup, ya guessed right! And Hanaa, what a sweet name. I dig it! Suits ya sweet face," Jiwe replied, unable to hold back her tongue. She could immediately see that Hanaa was a good-looking lioness. Not only did she have a pretty face, she also had a cute, black nose, which was intriguing to Jiwe, since nobody in the Paka Pride had one. She also had light-grey eyes, a body that had been properly fed, and very well-groomed creamy fur. The sight of what a healthy lioness should look like had certainly made an impression on Jiwe, and for some reason she couldn't understand, she found herself staring at her, mesmerized.

Hanaa grinned. "Thanks, heh, you're making me blush," she joked, winking at Jiwe.

Jiwe snapped out of it and then looked around, spotting the other two lions, who were sharing a piece of meat by the pile. "Are those your buddies over there?" she asked.

"Not really," Hanaa replied, "We just kind of happened to arrive at the same time, heh. I think they're mates or something. They were being all loveydovey towards each other."

"Well, then you're welcome to stick around with me, or go mingle with the rest. Whatever ya prefer," Jiwe said nonchalantly. She sincerely had little hopes that Hanaa would actually choose to stay with the likes of her. Jiwe was now regretting not having bathed and groomed herself earlier.

Hanaa looked around, staring at some of the animals who were already acting a bit funny. Still unsure about what to expect, she decided to stick with the expert for now. She didn't seem bothered by Jiwe's smell or scruffy looks, and went on to say, "You don't mind me staying with you for a while?"

"Not at all!" Jiwe replied brightly, trying not to look too surprised. She sat down and faced Hanaa, while also keeping an eye on the rest of the party.

"Ya know, I don't get to meet many lions at these parties." Jiwe went on, "There's been the occasional rogue that comes n' goes, but definitely no lionesses. I suppose it's gotta do with, I dunno, living in a Pride and all that. One can't just disappear to a wild party, without having to answer some questions from the pride-mates afterwards, innit?"

Hanaa nodded in agreement. "You got that right! I actually told my pride-sisters that I felt as if I was coming into season. I'm not interested in cubs at the moment so I told them I'd go and look for a place to hide until it's over. They don't expect me back for a few days, so that's good. I can take a few days to recover from whatever happens tonight," she added, ending her statement with a little, nervous chuckle.

Jiwe looked impressed. "Hey, that's a great excuse to get away, I'll have to remember it. Only, well, I'm too young to be comin' into season, heh. Can't use it just yet."

"Really?" Hanaa said, raising an eyebrow, "How old are you then?"

Jiwe shrugged. "Not really sure. We didn't keep good track of that 'n all, but mom reckons I shouldn't be comin' into season for another moon or so. Why?"

"Wow," Hanaa said, not able to hold back her surprise, "Well, you look, er, older, that's all." Hanaa had the tact to keep to herself the fact that Jiwe actually looked way much older and battered, there was no way this was a lioness who was just about to reach adulthood. All of a sudden, she wasn't sure of trying Jiwe's herbs anymore.

Jiwe looked at the other lioness, who had gone very quiet and seemed to be more nervous than before. Guessing what was going on in her mind, Jiwe bit her lip for a moment and then whispered softly, "Ya don't have to worry, babe. The stuff I'm givin' away for free ain't the stuff that makes ya look like me."

"It's not just that," Hanaa replied, and quickly added, "Er, no offence."

"None taken," Jiwe said, giving her a little, sad smile. "Tell me, what's on yer mind, babe?"

"Well... You look like you've been on herbs for quite a while, but... since you're still young, I was wondering... Just how old were you when you got pulled into this? How come it went this far?" she asked, staring at Jiwe's prominent ribcage.

Jiwe didn't respond right away. "I was very young," she finally admitted after a moment of silence, but she didn't feel like going into details. Jiwe couldn't help feeling she was being judged, and as much as she enjoyed staring at Hanaa's face, Jiwe didn't want to get lectured or pitied by this stranger, so she decided to cut the conversation short. "Maybe I'll tell ya the whole story some other time, but for now, I got a party to host."

Jiwe stood up and walked away, greeting other animals in the process. Hanaa remained seated, aware that she had crossed a line. She hadn't meant to be rude, she was only curious. Feeling very silly sitting there on her own, she decided to trail after Jiwe and apologize. "Hey, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Let's just start all over again, shall we? Hi, I'm Hanaa. Awesome party! Can I stick around?"

Jiwe gave her the warmest of smiles, pleased to see that she was willing to drop the personal enquiries. "Of course ya can, babe. Come, I'll introduce you to my buddies!"

The two lionesses spent most of the time together, talking to a few animals, but mostly, chatting amongst themselves about everything and nothing.

Hanaa eventually decided to try some of the lighter herbs that Jiwe had to offer. Jiwe offered her a twig of catnip, and watched amused how Hanaa began rolling around like an overgrown cub, drooling and laughing silly. Jiwe herself had never been fond of catnip, she found it too light and the effects didn't last long enough, but having established some kind of bond with Hanaa, Jiwe was content with giving her something light and not risk scaring her away.

When Hanaa couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, she cuddled next to Jiwe and fell asleep by her side. The addict couldn't stop smiling, and avoided moving or getting up as much as she could. If she had to stand up to handle any more deals, she would quickly return to where Hanaa was sleeping and keep guard over her. Eventually, when the party was over and there were no more herbs to trade, sleep caught up with Jiwe as well, and she lay down next to her new friend, sharing her warmth.

The next morning Hanaa bid Jiwe goodbye, but she was keen on meeting her again. "Thanks for everything, J. I had loads of fun! Make sure that you let me know somehow when the next party's going to be. I don't want to miss it!"

"I'll send a bird, I promise," Jiwe replied, "Stay safe, babe!"

Jiwe let out a dreamy sigh as she watched her go.

"I know what ya thinkin: _Nice piece o'tail!_ Innit?" came Mwezi's voice all of a sudden right behind Jiwe, startling the lioness and making her jump slightly.

The cheetah looked very dishevelled, having just woken up, but she was grinning broadly at Jiwe. She had already spotted Jiwe and Hanaa talking to each other the night before, and she was sure she had seen a spark of sorts between those two. The way Jiwe had been staring at Hanaa's retreating figure just now confirmed her suspicions.

"Mwezi... Is it possible that two females..." Jiwe started, but the cheetah interrupted her.

"Oh, boy. C'mon, let's just go to the lake and we'll have a nice talk once my throat don't feel like it's made of dry grass and sand."

Jiwe followed the cheetah, her heart still pumping in excitement from the memories of the night before.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

Thanks everyone for your comments so far! It's great to hear you're all liking the story. Please feel free to spread the word and tell your friends :D

Also, you'll find here a drawing of Jiwe and Mwezi, enjoy! fav . me / d672tkv (remove the spaces!)


	8. Unexpected Visits

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 8: Unexpected Visits**

Several days had gone by since the last party, and Jiwe still found herself thinking about Hanaa a lot. Granted, she had seemed a bit nosey and judgemental at first, but as Jiwe had gotten to know her better through the night, Jiwe could then see that Hanaa had been genuinely curious about her past experiences, before attempting to indulge in herbs herself. Perhaps Jiwe had been a bit too rude towards her. Lucky for her, Hanaa didn't seem to mind, and carried herself in such a friendly way that she left quite an impression on Jiwe. Being her first lioness friend, Jiwe just really wanted to see her again.

Mwezi had cleared up all her doubts on whether Jiwe could like a lioness in that _special_ way. She explained how some groups were more accepting than others, but the cheetah had the feeling that Kiume and Shukrani would honestly not give a damn. Jiwe could bed an elephant, for all they care, as long as she kept selling herbs and bringing back the payments to them.

Jiwe felt reassured, but for the time being she decided to keep her little crush a secret. She didn't even confide in Rahisi. After all, who knew if she would actually ever see Hanaa again. Who knew if Hanaa also liked lionesses. And if she did, who knew if she would like Jiwe that way. Given all the possible scenarios, Jiwe decided to keep quiet for now, and concentrated on her jobs, trying not to get too distracted.

Whenever Jiwe wasn't helping out uprooting plants growing in the wild and such, she would spend her time with Rahisi, whose health had taken a turn for the worse. She didn't bother getting up to fetch meat from the pile anymore, and had stopped going to the pond for a drink. It was not that Rahisi had given up on her life, but some illness seemed to be plaguing her, causing her immense discomfort if she moved. Her joints ached greatly, and her limbs felt very stiff.

Jiwe was able to get her to talk one day, and Rahisi expressed being in a lot of pain, so she preferred to stay still. Since then, Jiwe took it upon herself to bring Rahisi some meat every day, and she also made trips to the pond to fill up coconut halves with water for her.

Rahisi wasn't using any other herbs as of late, except for the Oil-Leaf, which she got from Jiwe herself. She had been sharing her stash with her mother, since the Bosses deemed Rahisi to be useless now, and had stopped any kind of payment towards her.

Jiwe also did her best to keep Rahisi clean, as well as the area around her. At night, she would curl to sleep with Rahisi in hopes of keeping each other warm.

While Rahisi seemed to have lost the will to talk, she sometimes still whispered a soft 'thanks', or a 'good night, Jiwe', reassuring the younger lioness that Rahisi was still there and aware of some of the things going on around her.

Days turned into weeks, and this time it was Shukrani who ordered Jiwe to throw another party, seeing as they were running low on a few of the supplies he found most interesting, such as the fermented fruit juices and the illness cures and headache remedies.

Jiwe got to work right away, and with the aid of her friends and messengers, they spread the word. Shukrani made sure to give Jiwe enough herbs to trade, and since the parties were getting more and more crowded, he himself ordered a few extra rhinos and elephants to keep guard in case any Rangers decided to crash the party.

Just in case Hanaa would show up, Jiwe decided to take a plunge into the lake and groom herself a bit. She still looked unkempt and scruffy in the end, but at least some of the dust and dead grass that had gathered in her pelt over the course of several months finally dislodged itself, giving Jiwe a bit of a cleaner look.

The party started, and Jiwe began welcoming the guests, continuing the tradition of giving the first one to arrive a shot of fermented fruit juice, to break the ice. "Hey, babe! Lookin' mighty fine today! Same as you, stud, that mane lookin' better and better!" she complimented them. Some of them would play and flirt back, others just ignored her silly comments, already used to her antics.

Jiwe in the meantime kept her eyes open, wondering whether Hanaa would show up. But a few hours went by and there was still no sight from the lioness.

Jiwe had lost hope about seeing her again tonight, and was about to take some more herbs, to try and cheer herself up, when all of a sudden her vision was obstructed by a pair of paws resting on her face. Someone behind Jiwe was covering her eyes, and Jiwe couldn't hide a huge smile when she heard Hanaa's voice whisper in her ear, "Guess who?"

Jiwe turned around and greeted her enthusiastically. "Thought you weren't gonna come, babe!"

"Had to ditch a pride-mate first, heh. He insisted on a romantic walk under the moonlight or something like that. I thought I'd never get rid of him!"

Jiwe's ears drooped ever so slightly, and tried to sound nonchalant when she asked, "Ah, yer mate or somethin'?"

"Oh, no! No way," Hanaa replied, making a gagging motion, "He keeps trying, but I'm not interested."

Jiwe thought it would be too soon to ask if she was interested in males at all, so instead she invited Hanaa over to the meat-pile. "Come, grab a bite, ya must be tired."

"Good idea," Hanaa said, and followed Jiwe, looking content.

The party was indeed crowded, and Jiwe kept getting interrupted every time with requests for herbs, so she and Hanaa couldn't have a proper conversation this time. Eventually, Hanaa gathered courage and told Jiwe that she was ready to try something a bit stronger than the catnip she had last time.

"Stronger, eh?" Jiwe said, a mischievous grin appearing on her face. "Well, I got several things, so... I dunno, what ya wanna do?"

"What do you mean?" Hanaa asked, looking a bit confused.

"Well," Jiwe replied, and began pointing out a few animals in the crowd, "Ya can snort some Bark-Powder and dance the night away like those guys, or ya can take some Blackroot and just sit and stare while feelin' super chill, like those guys over there. You can chew a mushroom so you can paw 'n chase at invisible stuff, and... Er, see those couples over there? They're on Upendi Petals, feelin', um, extra cuddly, if ya know what I mean," she finished her statement with a naughty chuckle.

Hanaa listened raptly, looking at the animals in question, and chuckling when Jiwe pointed out the last examples. "Upendi petals, huh? I suppose you need to have some sort of mate to enjoy that particular herb?"

Jiwe chuckled and shook her head. "Not necessarily... But that means ya'll probably be huggin' n' lickin' everyone else. Not sure that's the way ya roll. But, if ya wanna try it anyway, I can be your cuddle-buddy for the night. I wouldn't mind that at all," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Hanaa laughed and blushed slightly. "Oh, boy, my... _cuddle-buddy_?" she repeated to herself, looking at Jiwe. The skinny lioness was staring back at her with a warm grin, looking not even slightly embarrassed about what she had just suggested.

Hanaa had never been hit on by a female before, and she had no idea how to react. It did seem like Jiwe had put a bit of effort in looking nicer this time. Had Jiwe groomed herself just for her? Was she actually enjoying Jiwe's attention? How could that be? The poor, skinny lioness was everything but attractive, and yet...

Hanaa shook her head, as if trying to get rid of her thoughts. She wasn't sure she would mind having Jiwe as cuddle-buddy, but she was completely sure that she didn't feel like licking and hugging all those strangers, so she finally told Jiwe, "I think I'll just go for the chill herbs. I had quite a bad week and I could use a bit of relaxation."

"Chill herbs it is, then," Jiwe said, unable to hide her disappointment at being turned down.

Hanaa picked up on it, but said nothing, unsure of what to think about the situation. She waited patiently for Jiwe to fetch the herbs in question, and then asked her, "Will you join me too?"

Jiwe shook her head. "Nah, not with those, babe. They make me a bit too spacey, and I need to be more awake and alert when I'm selling my stuff. But ya enjoy yourself, and I'll be keepin' an eye on ya."

"Like last time? Promise?" Hanaa said, hoping that Jiwe would get the hint she didn't mind her company.

Jiwe nodded. "Promise. Now go have fun!"

Jiwe kept true to her promise, despite feeling that Hanaa had no interest in her other than being just a friend. Having her as a friend was cool, Jiwe kept repeating to herself. There were plenty of other lionesses out there, anyway. Hanaa wasn't the only one.

Jiwe spent most of the night with those thoughts in her mind, until she dozed off by Hanaa's side when the party was finally over.

Hanaa woke up feeling calm and rested, but Jiwe had been right, those herbs had made her very relaxed, but also a bit daft and slow, and she wasn't sure she had liked that very much. Hanaa couldn't hold a conversation with anyone, and every time Jiwe had approached to check on her, Hanaa had tried to talk to her, but it felt as if no coherent words were coming out of her mouth. Hanaa was very social, and she felt that being around all those animals but not being able to interact with anyone was a bit of a waste. But hey, you try and learn, she told herself.

Hanaa stood up and stretched herself, watching Jiwe sleeping calmly beside her.

It was a weird sight, to see Jiwe's chest rise and fall slowly. She was so skinny that she could pass for a dead animal anytime. She watched Jiwe for a long time, taking in her features, the little scars on her body, the bald, raw patches of skin on her forelegs, and her blunt, damaged claws, which Jiwe sometimes extended and retracted in her sleep, probably dreaming about something.

Hanaa smiled slightly, thinking Jiwe looked a bit more like a lanky male, than a female. The little tuft of hair on top of Jiwe's head didn't help either, making her look a bit more boyish.

Jiwe stirred slightly, and Hanaa looked away, not wanting to get caught staring.

"Mmhh?" Jiwe asked sleepily, opening her eyes to see Hanaa sitting up straight. "Ya leavin' already, babe?"

Hanaa nodded. "Yes, I have to go soon... I had a great time though, but next time I'll be trying herbs that keep me awake and alert all night!"

Jiwe snorted slightly. "Noted. I'll have 'em ready for ya, babe."

"Well... Send a bird to warn me about your next party and I'll try to be there, okay?" Hanaa said.

Jiwe stood up and tried to rub the sleep off her eyes with a paw. "I will," she replied, stifling a yawn, "And, just because I'm awesome, I'll let ya in without payment. Just don't tell anyone else, okay?"

Hanaa smiled, thinking sleepy Jiwe looked very goofy and cute. "My lips are sealed. Well! See ya sometime soon, J."

"Lookin' forward to it already, babe."

Hanaa walked away, feeling confused, but at the same time, feeling very keen in exploring this new possibility that life had thrown at her. She didn't want to rush into things, though, so she decided she would wait until the next party and see where things would go from there. But only after a few days of waiting, Hanaa realized that she really wanted to see Jiwe again, but alone this time. No big party, no big crowd, no herb-dealing related interruptions. Just the two of them. That way they could finally get to know each other better, and perhaps sort her confusion out.

With that idea in mind, Hanaa made yet another excuse to disappear for a little while. Her Pride had started to wonder about these little trips of hers, but she told them that she wanted to be alone, to try and sort out her feelings. The Pride, assuming she meant whether she should accept her male suitor or not, didn't pry any further, and allowed her to go spend time on her own.

* * *

It was a very sunny afternoon, and Jiwe was busy cleaning Rahisi's resting area, getting rid of waste and old bones, trampling the grass for her, and just making it nice and comfortable.

Rahisi promptly claimed the freshly trampled spot, right under the shade of a tree, and smiled at Jiwe gratefully, before drifting in a calm and deep sleep.

Jiwe kept guard over Rahisi for a while, scaring away flies and mosquitoes from her mother's face. Suddenly, a shadow flew past, making Jiwe look upwards. It was Kuwasi, circling over her.

"Got a message for me, pal?" Jiwe called.

"Yeah, looks like there's some addict in the eastern border lookin' for herbs. Ya wanna handle it, or ya wanna hand me a pouch and I take care of that lioness on me own?"

Jiwe's ears perked up at the word 'lioness'. "I'll handle it, no prob," she replied a bit too quickly. Jiwe stood up and licked Rahisi's cheek. "Sorry, mom, I gotta go, I'll see ya later!"

Jiwe hurried as fast as her bony, weakened frame would allow it. Could it really be Hanaa? Was she so desperate for herbs that she couldn't wait till the next party? Her face lit up at the sight of the creamy lioness, who was waiting for her, with a nice chunk of zebra meat by her paws.

"Hey, babe, what a nice surprise! Whatcha doin' here?" Jiwe asked, greeting her with a friendly head-butt.

Hanaa returned the greeting and said, "I was just passin' by and thought I'd come say hi! I brought us lunch, too."

"Lunch?" Jiwe asked, "This ain't no payment for more herbs?"

Hanaa looked Jiwe in the eye and said, "I didn't come to score herbs this time, J. I'm just here to spend a bit of time with you, without all the noise and interruptions."

Jiwe felt her heart racing. "Oh! That's cool babe, thanks for the food... Let's dig in!" she said, sounding slightly nervous for the first time since they met.

Hanaa smiled. Jiwe appeared to be cool and smooth, but Hanaa could definitely tell that her presence stirred her slightly.

The two lionesses shared the meal as they talked about the events of the last party, and how Hanaa hadn't liked the previous herbs too much.

"What's your favorite herb anyway?" Hanaa asked, grooming her face with a paw, enjoying the feeling of a full belly.

Jiwe, who had barely eaten less than a quarter of her portion, was now picking at the meat, taking very small nibbles. She didn't want to offend Hanaa, by leaving her portion uneaten, so she did her best to eat some more. When she heard Hanaa's question, Jiwe looked up and hesitated for a moment, glad to have an excuse to stop eating for a while.

"The Oil-Leaf, definitely. It's very heavy stuff though. I never deal that one at parties. It's very rare and costly, so the Bosses do the dealin' when it comes to that."

"Oh, I see... Maybe you can share one with me sometime?" Hanaa asked. She would probably chicken out at the last minute, but she was definitely curious.

Jiwe normally would have jumped at the opportunity to hook someone else on the horribly addictive herb, and get Shukrani and Kiume's praise. However, this time, Jiwe felt as if someone had pushed her into a freezing cold pond. She looked at Hanaa, admiring her beautiful looks and her healthy appearance. It would be a shame to drag her down and have her end up looking like Jiwe herself. So after a brief moment of consideration, Jiwe shook her head. "Sorry babe... but ya too beautiful to have yer looks ruined by the likes of them Oil-Leaves."

Jiwe then finally opened up to Hanaa, and admitted that she owed her skinny and unhealthy looks to years of Oil-Leaf abuse.

Hanaa listened intently as Jiwe explained how she had grown up with the dealers, seeing and learning from them. Instead of learning to hunt, Jiwe had lessons on how to recognize and uproot herbs growing in the wild.

Hanaa felt a bit of pity for the lioness, it was clear she had led a rough life, but all in all, she seemed content and when she spoke about her herb habit, there was little to no regret in her statements. That was who she was, how she was raised. Jiwe knew no better, who could blame her?

"I'm glad you told me all this, I was dying to get to know you better. I really wanted to know what had pushed you into the whole herb-scene. I wondered if you, just like me, simply felt curious, and just got dragged down real badly. I never imagined you had actually grown up in this scene," Hanaa said, feeling very understanding.

Jiwe shrugged. "It is what it is, innit. I might look like crap, but, hey, I don't mind. I'm happy, I feel good, and I get by. That's my motto! Don't need much else, ya know what I'm sayin'?"

Hanaa looked at Jiwe. It was true that her looks left much to be desired, but Hanaa loved just how confident Jiwe was, despite everything she had been through. Jiwe really sounded as if she had all her life figured out. Except for one little thing.

"What about love? You don't need that in order to be happy?" Hanaa said.

Jiwe suddenly seemed to take a huge interest in her meat, and began nibbling on it in order to delay her response.

Hanaa grinned, and pushed the meat to the side slowly. "You don't fool me. I know you're not hungry."

Jiwe looked up at her and let out a little chuckle, while scratching the back of her head with a paw nervously. "Ya want an honest answer, babe?"

"Hit me with it," Hanna replied.

"Well... Up until recently, I didn't care about love n' stuff. A friend had already explained to me about finding a mate n' all that, but all the lions I ever met... I dunno, I never felt like I wanted to go and do them, ya know? Maybe I was just too young then, but still."

Hanaa smiled and nodded, enticing Jiwe to continue.

"Anyway, recently, I just sorta started paying attention to them animals around me, noticin' their faces and thinkin', _that dude's got awesome eyes_, or, _that's the cutest smile right there_, things like that. But there was one animal, who kinda hit me like a chargin' rhino. I haven't been the same since then. I keep thinkin' n' tellin' myself, _I'm happy, I feel good, and I get by_... But, man, it would be awesome if that other animal could also be happy, feel good and get by, together with me, ya know? Heh."

Hanaa herself began breathing faster, and she wondered why this revelation was stirring her so. She had been watching Jiwe interacting with other animals at the last party, and had realized then that Jiwe called almost any female a babe. There was a chance that maybe Jiwe had fallen for someone else, so Hanaa kept on asking, dying to find out more. "Is it someone I've seen at the parties? Perhaps that lion that arrived with me the first time?"

Jiwe chuckled. "Him? Nah, he's a sourpuss, that one. He's kept on comin' to them parties but most of the time he just sits and stares and buys nothin'. And he ain't my type, at all."

"Not too fond of blonde manes?" Hanaa asked.

Jiwe looked Hanaa in the eye and said, "Not fond of manes, at all." There, she had finally said it. Now to wait for her reaction.

Hanaa simply smiled back at Jiwe and said, "Okay, I get it. So it was his companion who caught your eye then!"

Jiwe laughed and shook her head. "Nah, she's as snooty as her boyfriend. I think I'm more into the warm, friendly type."

Hanaa remained silent, looking at Jiwe. She could tell that the skinny lioness was breathing faster and even smelled a bit nervous now. Hanaa finally replied, "Well, I for one prefer darker manes. I think they make lions look very attractive. But, I recently discovered that apparently, in certain cases, the lack of a mane doesn't bother me at all. I never knew, and I don't know what to make of it, to be honest."

Jiwe swallowed with difficulty, unsure of what to do or say. "I guess you could just give things a try and see what happens?" she whispered softly. Jiwe wanted to say more, to confess just how much she had been thinking and fantasizing about Hanaa lately. But since words were failing her at the moment, Jiwe decided to let her actions speak for her, and she leaned over, giving Hanaa a warm, gentle lick on her cheek. It was a meaningful kiss, which made Hanaa's heart skip a beat.

Realizing what she had done, Jiwe freaked out slightly, and lost her cool.

Before Hanaa could say anything, Jiwe was already running away from her, back into the safety of the Paka Pride's territory. Hanaa followed her, but at some point she encountered Shukrani and Kiume's territorial marks at the border of the neutral zone, and the scents made Hanaa stop on her tracks.

"J, come back, please! J! Don't leave me like this!"

Jiwe heard her calls and forced herself to stop, panting heavily. She looked over her shoulder, to see Hanaa standing there, pacing from one side to another. It appeared that Hanaa was about to attempt crossing the border into forbidden territory, just to follow her.

Before Hanaa could get herself hurt, Jiwe returned to her, looking very embarrassed. "I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry," Jiwe told her.

"You don't have to be sorry. I- I liked what you did. Very much," Hanna replied sincerely.

Jiwe looked at her, perking up her ears, hopeful. "Really?"

Hanaa nodded and motioned for Jiwe to return to the neutral zone. Once Jiwe had crossed into it, Hanaa pulled Jiwe close in a tight embrace, and nuzzled her cheek gently. Hanaa was surprised to feel how cold Jiwe was to the touch, even on such a warm day.

Jiwe appeared surprised at first, but quickly surrendered to Hanaa's attentions, and held her back firmly.

"I must warn you, I have no idea what I'm doing, J. I like male lions!" Hanaa whispered after a short moment of silence.

Jiwe closed her eyes, enjoying the close contact with Hanaa, and stealing a bit of her warmth. "Well, kinda makes sense, ya know. I ain't exactly what ya can call _ladylike_, innit?"

Hanaa chuckled. Jiwe was spot-on. While she liked males all right, this tomboy lioness was probably the next best thing.

Hanaa released Jiwe from her embrace and looked at her. "You know, I've been thinking, and maybe I'll take up on that offer of yours."

"Huh? What offer?" Jiwe asked, not sure what Hanna meant.

"The _cuddle-buddy_ thing, remember? Only, I think we can skip the herbs this time."

Jiwe smiled, and nodded. She couldn't believe her luck. Jiwe hadn't felt this great since the first times she had done the Oil-leaves. She had no idea one could feel so awesome without the use of herbs.

"Well, let's go cuddle then," Jiwe said brightly, and led Hanaa towards the shade of a nearby tree. Jiwe picked up a sunny spot to lie down, leaving enough room for Hanaa to get comfy in the shade.

The two lionesses held each other close once more, and continued to talk about anything that came to their minds. Jiwe learned that Hanaa came from a big Pride, led by three brothers. She had loving parents who took good care of her, but unfortunately, her father found love somewhere else and left to form another Pride of his own. It was a hard time for Hanaa, and she began acting a bit rebellious after that, but the rest of the Pride did their best to help her out and be there for her. They were all very caring and would do anything to help a Pride member in need.

Jiwe was intrigued to hear about how Hanaa's Pride worked. It seemed like a different world, compared to the situation she had been living in, where there was little tenderness and love, and more manipulation and blackmailing. Jiwe herself had been guilty of that, manipulating the newbies into taking more herbs, and asking for more payment in return. She had never stopped to wonder whether there were different ways of life to go by. Hanaa was opening up a new world to Jiwe's eyes, and she kept asking questions, avid to learn more about what it was like not to leave in a herb-dealing Pride.

When the lionesses got tired of talking, they simply rested together, drifting in and out of sleep. Since neither of them was in season, there was not much going on in regards to a physical relationship. For now, the two lionesses were content with just being close, and grooming each other every now and then.

It was a bittersweet moment for Jiwe when Hanaa had to return to her own Pride. They said good-bye with a loving nuzzle and lick on the cheek, and Hanaa promised she would do her best to keep on visiting her often.

Jiwe had offered to go visit her too, but Hanaa didn't want to risk having a ranger find her, so they both agreed Hanaa would be doing the trips back and forth.

They continued to meet after that, during parties, and through random visits from Hanaa. Jiwe had been expecting to come into season any moment now, and was looking forward to finding out what all the fuss was about with Hanaa by her side, but week after week went by, and the lioness simply didn't show any of the signs. She tried asking Rahisi about it, but since the lioness still wouldn't speak much, Jiwe resorted to asking Mwezi instead.

The cheetah had a vague inkling of what could be wrong. "Before I started workin for the Bosses, there was a huge drought and little to no food to be found. I lost a lotta weight, and even though I was supposed to come into season, it never came. I think yer body knows that there ain't enough food around to support a little one growing inside ya, and the whole matin' function just kinda shuts down."

Mwezi paused to take a deep breath and added, "No offence, sweetie, but you're nothin' but skin 'n bones. I don't think you'll have any seasons until ya put on some decent weight."

Jiwe had taken Mwezi's advice, and began forcing herself to eat more than what she was used to, but her shrunken stomach couldn't take that much meat, and most of the time, Jiwe ended up throwing up everything she had eaten, leading to more weight loss and dehydration.

Jiwe confided in Hanaa during one of her visits, telling her that there was a chance that she might never come into season at all.

"I've tried my best, yo, but, it ain't workin'. All the extra meat just comes right back out," Jiwe said, sounding terribly disappointed.

Hanaa felt sorry for Jiwe, but she was very reassuring. She even came up with an idea to put Jiwe at ease. "I know what we can do. When I come into season, you take an Upendi petal. Then we both can have some fun at the same time. What do you think?"

Jiwe seemed to like the idea, and thought it was worth a try.

When the time finally came, and Hanaa came looking for Jiwe, practically demanding the skinny lioness to give her some relief right there and then, Jiwe took an Upendi Petal, and led Hanaa to a more secluded area, where they would have more privacy, away from prying eyes. The two lionesses then finally consummated their physical relationship, and Jiwe wouldn't have traded places with anyone in the world.

While Jiwe was completely inexperienced in this field, she knew more or less what was expected from her, after seeing Rahisi with her customers, and from the talk she had had with Mwezi. Jiwe had no problems assuming the role of the male, it almost came naturally to her, much to Hanaa's satisfaction. Jiwe in turn felt immensely loving and happy, the feeling almost duplicated by the effects of the herbs she had taken. She was glad that she had saved her first Upendi petal for this special occasion.

It was clear that Hanaa was more experienced than Jiwe, and the skinny lioness was extremely keen to learn from her. This would be a coming of age that Jiwe would never forget. Even when the effect of the Upendi Petal had worn off, and Jiwe's short, herb-induced season ended, she remained content and optimistic. Having been able to spend time with Hanaa in such an intimate fashion had totally been worth it, even if the petal's effects didn't last for more than a night.

Jiwe still spent most of her time with Hanaa after that, while her season still lasted. She would only return to the den to clean Rahisi and bring her food and water, and would rush back to where her lover waited. Jiwe was so dedicated to Hanaa, that she even decided to skip the Oil-Leaves during this time, until the withdrawal symptoms and the discomfort became too much to handle. Hanaa had watched Jiwe take the leaf and then drift off to her imaginary world. There was no way she could make Jiwe react to her touch, making Hanaa very cranky for a short while. But aside from that, the two lionesses had a great time, reinforcing their bond and the desire to spend time together not just as friends, but as a couple.

Once Hanaa's season ended and her hormones went back to normal, the lioness spent a lot of time thinking about where she wanted to go with all this. Going back to her Pride felt more like an obligation lately. She really preferred spending her time with Jiwe, and now that the thin lioness was getting groomed constantly, Jiwe didn't look or smell as bad as before. That never bothered her much anyway. It also didn't matter to Hanaa either that Jiwe was a dealer or an addict. Aware of her own growing addiction, Hanaa thought it would be better to stay by Jiwe's side after all. She just needed to find the right moment to break the news to her Pride-members. But, feeling slightly scared of what their reaction would be, Hanaa kept quiet and opted to keep travelling back and forth for the time being.

The two lionesses had tried to keep their relationship a secret at first. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as total privacy inside Shukrani and Kiume's domains, and news that Jiwe had found herself a girlfriend reached the Bosses ears pretty soon after. As Mwezi had predicted, they didn't care at all that Jiwe had fallen for a lioness. They were more interested in the fact that they could use Jiwe's love interest against her, if push ever came to shove.

* * *

As time went by, and Jiwe and Hanaa grew more comfortable with each other, they stopped hiding their affection, and they would often be seen together, nuzzling, tossing and turning on the grass, and grooming each other for hours. During Jiwe's parties they would both indulge in Upendi Petals, showing heated displays of affection afterwards that would make a few animals raise an eyebrow or two. But the two lionesses couldn't care less. They were the happiest they had ever been, and nobody was going to change that, ever.

That was, until the day Hanaa stopped popping by. Day after day went by, without a sign of her. Jiwe had asked Kuwasi to fly around and try to locate her, but he couldn't find any trace. The creamy lioness had simply vanished.

Since Jiwe had never visited Hanaa's territory before, she had no idea where she lived, nor where to start looking for her. Had the Rangers gotten her? After all, Hanaa had been using more and more herbs as of late, so maybe they had managed to spot some signs of herb abuse on her.

Jiwe felt devastated, all her happiness disappeared along with Hanaa, and the thought of just getting lost in her herbs was very tempting.

However, Shukrani didn't allow for that to happen. "We already have one lioness wasting our space, we don't need another one. Now get your act together and get back to work!"

Jiwe had no other choice but to try and move on, but the lioness was unusually quiet. Mwezi tried her best to cheer her up, but the loss of Hanaa had hit Jiwe very hard. The lioness continued to flirt here and there, throwing compliments at the animals, as was customary, but it didn't feel the same now that she had experienced a real relationship, so Jiwe began keeping more to herself, until she grew desperate from not knowing what had been Hanaa's fate.

_Maybe if I throw another party, she will be tempted to come... She still needs her herb fix, after all,_ Jiwe thought one day. With that idea in mind, she went to meet the Bosses and asked them for additional pouches.

"Not this time," Shukrani told her, "We're going to visit a potential customer interested in Oil-Leaves, but it's quite a walk, so we're bringing the rhinos and the elephants along. We'll be gone for a day or two, so there won't be anyone left to keep guard during the party. Just wait until we return."

But Jiwe was tired of waiting, and she disregarded Shukrani's orders for once. They never had had any issues with Rangers at the parties before, so Jiwe wasn't worried in the slightest.

Knowing where Shukrani kept the pouches hidden, Jiwe took quite a few with her, and began organizing the party. She knew she could get in trouble, but she was sure the payments would soothe the Bosses up a bit.

Nightfall came and nobody had shown up yet. Jiwe began feeling rather uneasy, since Paku confirmed that he would be coming, as well as Mwezi. Just where was everyone?

Eventually, Jiwe heard some rustling in the distance, and a lion emerged from the shadows. It was the same lion that had arrived together with Hanaa the first time. He looked as sulky as ever, only this time, he was carrying something in his mouth. Jiwe assumed it was some sort of payment.

_Just my luck, the only guy who shows up is the one who doesn't buy herbs, unless he's decided to start using them now,_ Jiwe thought bitterly.

As the lion came closer, Jiwe could see he was actually carrying half a coconut, which he deposited carefully at Jiwe's feet. It contained some clear liquid inside.

"Hey there, J. Um, am I actually the first one?" he asked, looking around, making sure they were actually alone.

"Yeah you are, stud," Jiwe said, trying to sound cheerful. "I was wondering if anyone would show up at all! What's this stuff?" she asked, sniffing at the coconut with curiosity.

"Well, after watching some of the animals for a while, I finally decided to try some herbs tonight, so I thought I'd bring you this as payment. It's a potion that our local mandrill shaman brews for our Pride. It's supposed to heighten the senses. You can smell better, see sharper, and hear things that are really far away. It's not very strong, and it only lasts for a short while, but it's a very cool feeling. I thought it would be right up your alley."

Jiwe nodded, looking quite interested. "It does sound cool, I'd love to try it right now! Maybe I can hear why nobody else has showed up, how's that?"

The lion chuckled and pushed the coconut towards her with his nose. "Go ahead!"

"Just wait a sec," Jiwe said, and she went to fetch her own coconut half, which was hidden behind her stone counter. She offered it to the lion. "Here, the usual shot of fermented fruit juice for the first guest! Wanna toast?"

"Mmm, nice, thanks! Let's see, a toast... To more guests showing up," the lion said, and lapped at the alcoholic beverage.

"Heh, yeah, I'll toast to that," Jiwe sighed, and tasted the liquid the lion had offered her. It didn't have any distinct flavor. If Jiwe didn't know any better, she could have sworn she was just drinking water from the lake.

"Mmmm, nice and fresh," she said, drinking it all in one go. "So, how long till I start hearing better and stuff?"

"Give it a few minutes," the lion replied, "it acts very fast."

Jiwe nodded waited, and slowly she felt her whole body becoming numb. As she turned her head, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion before her eyes. Instead of hearing better, all the sounds around her began fading, as if they were very far away. Jiwe tried to speak, but she had no control of her tongue anymore, and all her words came out as nonsensical slurring. Jiwe could tell that something was very wrong. Maybe she shouldn't have drunk the whole thing in one go; perhaps she had overdosed.

She tried to fix her gaze on the lion, whose sulky expression had been replaced by an evil little grin. Had she been tricked? "Y-you a R-ranger?" Jiwe managed to blurt out before collapsing to the ground and the whole world started to spin before her eyes.

The last thing Jiwe heard before passing out was the lion's distorted, mocking voice saying, "Hah! You wish I were a Ranger. Hmm, it's a shame that the animals believe your party was cancelled, eh? No one's coming tonight, so there's no one here to help you, you filthy, smelly bonebag. Anyway, sleep tight, don't let the ticks bite."

Jiwe was unable to respond as everything around her faded into complete darkness.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

_**- **_Once again, thanks for the reviews so far! If you enjoy this story, please share it with your friends! :D

- You can now find Mwezi's reference sheet here: **fav . me / d67gb3y** (remove the spaces!)

- To the anonymous reviewer who calls himself/herself "_Addict_": It seems that ffnet deleted the link you had written in your latest review, so I don't know which website you're referring to, sorry!


	9. Breaking Point

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 9: Breaking Point**

When Jiwe finally came to, it was already past midday. The sun shone brightly down on her, making her a bit too warm for comfort. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling very dizzy and thirsty.

Jiwe stayed put until the dizziness faded away, and she finally lifted her head and looked around. She was still inside the neutral zone where the party would have been held.

Little by little, the details of the night before began swimming around Jiwe's hazy mind. One moment she was chatting to that lion, the next one, he was insulting her and sounding threatening.

Jiwe now could clearly tell that she had been poisoned, or herbed-up. The Paka Pride hadn't heard of any herbs or powders that one could dissolve in water, so this must be a new plant someone else had discovered. But what was the idea behind all this?

Jiwe finally gathered some strength to stand up, and felt shooting pain all over her. The lioness looked at her body identifying a few scratches and marks from someone's claws. Her nape was extremely sensitive too, and judging from the stabbing, throbbing pain inside her abdomen, Jiwe could gather that the lion had taken advantage of her while she had been unconscious.

Jiwe let out a deep sigh, and tried not to dwell on that. She busied herself by exploring the area. She could identify other fresh scents. The lion hadn't been on his own, there had been at least two others.

Jiwe cursed under her breath, still trying to make sense of it all. Her eyes opened wide all of a sudden when she looked at the flat rock that she used as counter, and saw that behind it, the soil had been disturbed.

Jiwe hurried as fast as she could and realized with horror that the pouches she had hidden there had all been stolen. Not only that, the meat pile had also disappeared. She basically had no herbs and no payments to account for them. Jiwe was sure that the Bosses wouldn't take kindly to this mess-up. She was desperately thinking of ways to try and cover up her mistake.

Jiwe became more alarmed when she detected that the strangers had crossed the neutral zone and had wandered into forbidden territory. Jiwe's ears folded downwards as she thought of her mother. Had they hurt her too?

Jiwe tried to run, but the pain and discomfort was too much, so instead she slowed down to a trot, limping slightly every now and then. She finally reached Rahisi's resting area and found the lioness lying down, looking calm, but awake. Jiwe could tell that the lions had been there, but Rahisi appeared unharmed otherwise.

"Mom? Mom, are you okay?" Jiwe asked, checking for any signs of abuse, and sighing in relief when she saw there weren't any.

Rahisi simply nodded and gave Jiwe one of the longest answers she had ever uttered in quite a while. "I'm fine. They were after the herbs. Go check the stock..."

Jiwe nodded and hurried to examine the rest of the area. To her relief, the intruders hadn't found the place where the Bosses kept all the pouches hidden. It was underground, and very well concealed. They did thrash the area around the den, and had left their scent marks all over the place, just to spite the Paka Pride further.

Jiwe had no idea what to do. She started by trying to clean up and order the area a bit, before the Bosses returned, all while trying to think of a good excuse. She felt wholly responsible for what had happened. She had disobeyed Shukrani's orders, and this was the price she had to pay. She even kept telling herself that she deserved all the pain she was going through, and did her best not to complain, even when a few tears escaped against her will and would roll down her face.

Eventually, she could hear the elephants and rhinos returning to the area, and felt the vibrations of their steps on the ground. Jiwe braced herself, and waited for the Bosses to arrive. As they got closer, Jiwe could tell that they were in a horrible mood. Something had gone wrong during their distant deal, and Jiwe feared that they would explode once she told them what had happened while they were gone. She decided she would try and lie her way out of this, if possible. Maybe she could say those guys just showed up on their own and managed to steal a few pouches before she tried to scare them away. They got mad and attacked her. Would the Bosses buy that?

Jiwe was still trying to formulate a good lie, and in the meantime, it didn't take long for Kiume and Shukrani to detect that their territory had been defiled. The two lions were sniffing around, until they spotted Jiwe, staring at the ground sheepishly.

"What the hell happened here?" Shukrani asked her, looking extremely angry.

Jiwe gathered all her courage and she replied, "Some blokes came and tried to steal them herbs. I tried to stop 'em but they knocked me out."

There was no hint of hesitation in her voice. Jiwe was an excellent liar, and she might have gotten away with her version of events, except for the fact that she had overlooked one small detail, which didn't go unnoticed by the two lions.

Kiume had gone to check their underground hideout, after hearing what Jiwe had to say. He found that indeed, several pouches were missing. Shukrani joined him as he inspected the area, and said, "That's odd. Their stinking stench is all over the place, but I can tell that they didn't even come close to the hideout. Smell this, however..."

Jiwe saw both of them sniffing the ground as well as the entrance to the tunnel. They both turned to look at her, and the lioness knew she had been busted. They probably detected her own scent inside the hideout. There was no lying her way out of this anymore.

"What did you do?" Shukrani snarled, walking towards Jiwe with a very menacing expression.

"I'm sorry, you guys! I just thought, one more party, because-" she began to say, but Shukrani silenced her by holding her firmly by her jaw with a paw.

"We told you, no damn parties!" He roared at her face, making Jiwe cringe. "Are you telling me you broke into our hideout and took some pouches without our permission? Let me guess... Those guys took them?"

Jiwe nodded, trembling slightly.

Shukrani cursed out loud, releasing Jiwe roughly, making her stumble and fall to the ground.

The lioness got up slowly, and then recounted everything that had happened, from the moment that no one showed up to the party, until she was offered some liquid that had knocked her out for hours straight. She hoped to gain some sympathy by letting them know that at least one of the intruders had had their way with her, but it was clear that the two Bosses couldn't care less.

Kiume glanced at Jiwe, looking at her wounds uninterestedly, and it was until then when he noticed something that caught his attention.

"Shuk, take a look at this!" he said, pulling Jiwe close to him with his claws, and examining Jiwe's nape closely.

Jiwe winced slightly, but remained silent. She knew that nothing she could say would make her situation any better.

Shukrani approached and stared down at Jiwe, frowning deeply. "It's that symbol thing again... Dammit, Kiume, this was all a trick!"

He began cursing as loud as he could, slashing at random objects, looking as mad as Jiwe had never seen him before.

"What? What's goin' on?" Jiwe asked Kiume, cowering before them, afraid that Shukrani would lash at her too.

Kiume turned to her, ignoring her submissive gesture. "When we arrived at the place where we'd be meeting the new customer, there was no one there," he explained, while Shukrani continued to take his anger out on a nearby tree, "However, we noticed that the trees all had some sort of symbol carved on them. Like, some sort of fang or claw. Well, it turns out that whoever had his fun with you last night, they also carved the same symbol right into your flesh."

Jiwe opened her eyes wide. She assumed her nape hurt from having someone biting on it during mating, but it seemed there was something weirder going on.

Shukrani began pacing madly to and fro, muttering to himself. "That mark on the Bonebag's neck is a message to us. They're messing with us, Kiume! There was no new customer to meet... They faked it all, to force us to leave. They knew we would take the rhinos and elephants,leaving this place unprotected for a while!"

Jiwe felt a huge relief when he heard Shukrani's rant. So it hadn't been her fault! This was a much bigger plan and she just happened to be on the wrong place at the wrong time. "So, what ya sayin' is that this dude would have popped by even if I hadn't organized no stinkin' party? It ain't my fault he was here?"

Shukrani shoot Jiwe a look that felt like a dagger. "I'm sure he and his mates would have showed up anyway. However, they wouldn't have been able to steal any pouches at all, if you hadn't taken them out from our hideout in the first place, you idiot! Just how many are there missing, Kiume?"

"About twenty, give or take," the other lion replied.

"Twenty, damn it!" Shukrani repeated, growling deeply, making Jiwe cower again slightly, her ears pinned down to her head.

Kiume grunted slightly. "Sounds like we have our first rival gang, and from the looks of it, they have knowledge of different herbs that we're not familiar with, and they will use them against us. We will have to be very careful with any future payments we receive."

Shukrani nodded. "Yes. No more dealing with strangers for now, until we find out more about this rival gang, and this situation is under control."

The lion then turned to Jiwe and hissed, "As for you, you will have to pay for all those damn herbs you lost, so you will have to work harder from now on. Also, I don't want any parties organized any more, at all. Not until we sort out who's working for those bastards."

Jiwe had gone very silent. If she couldn't recruit new customers, nor throw any parties to gather the existing ones up in one single place, selling the herbs would take a much bigger effort. She would need to travel around, and be at risk of getting found by Rangers. But she nodded and didn't complain, so as not to anger the two lions any further.

Shukrani then thrust a couple of pouches into Jiwe's paws. "Get to work straight away and get out of our sight. Don't bother coming back until you've sold all this lot. And you better do it snappy, or we'll think of other ways to make you earn more payments," he threatened the lioness, and pushed her away roughly.

And just like that, Jiwe's status as their favorite dealer in the Pride plummeted to the ground. Jiwe quickly swallowed the pouches and left without another word, her tail and head hanging low. As she walked around, searching for any addicts willing to trade with her, the lioness went over the recent events in her head, trying to make sense of it all.

She was still in pain from the attack on her earlier, but Jiwe found herself not bothered by it as much as she was bothered by the attitude of those closest to her. She even began suspecting if Hanaa might had been involved in all this, given how she had arrived at her first party together with that lion. What if they really knew each other after all? What if she had been some sort of spy?

Eventually Jiwe shook her head. Not her Hanaa; there must be another, unrelated reason why she stopped coming to visit. Jiwe found herself thinking back at the time they spent together, but she knew she had to stop dwelling on what happened in the past, and concentrate on the task at hand for now.

Jiwe knew very well what Shukrani meant with 'other ways' of making her earn payments, and given how much pain she felt right now after being forced to mate, she was desperate to sell all the herbs, and not give the Bosses a reason to put her in the prostitution ring.

As such, Jiwe worked extra hard, walking here and there nonstop, trading herbs for meat payments. When she had sold all the contents of the pouches, the lioness returned to the den and deposited the meat by Shukrani's feet, smiling proudly to herself at a job well done.

But, without saying a word, the lion threw four more pouches at her feet. He then turned his back on her and began eating along with Kiume nonchalantly.

"Um, these are for tomorrow, right?" Jiwe asked, eager to lie down and rest her tired paws.

"No. You're going to work until you've repaid all that you owe us. So get back out there and don't bother coming back if you haven't' sold all of this stuff."

Jiwe suppressed a growl forming in her throat, but she knew better than to disobey or contradict them. "Can I at least take some meat to my mother? I won't take long, yo."

"You have five minutes," Shukrani mumbled through a mouthful, ignoring the lioness after that.

Jiwe took some meat and brought it to Rahisi, who sniffed at it and turned away.

"C'mon, ya gotta eat somethin'... I can't stay for long and I'll feel a lot better knowin' that you've had your share," Jiwe said, while stealing a few nibbles for herself.

Rahisi looked at Jiwe, who looked bruised and battered. She could tell that she had been hurt by the intruders, but could not find the words to try and connect with Jiwe and comfort her a bit. So she tried to put Jiwe at ease by eating the meat she had brought her.

Jiwe smiled, watching as her mother ate. She then filled Rahisi in on what had happened and how she gad gotten herself into major trouble. Rahisi looked worried, and pushed a bit of the meat towards Jiwe.

Jiwe wasn't hungry, but she knew it might be a while before she could eat properly again, so she ate a few more bites to keep her going.

"I have to go now," Jiwe said, giving Rahisi a gentle lick on the top of her head. She then went through her own personal herb stash, and placed an Oil-Leaf next to Rahisi's paws.

"We gotta go easy on these, mom. Who knows when I'll get paid again... Anyway, I'll be back at least once a day to bring ya food and water. Ya stay safe, okay?"

Rahisi watched Jiwe go, sighing deeply. She then stared at the Oil-Leaf, and taking Jiwe's words into account, rather than crushing it right away, Rahisi hid the leaf inside her mouth, and would wait for her fix until she couldn't stand the withdrawal symptoms anymore. The lioness then tried to stand up, but her legs felt so stiff and painful, that she opted to remain in the same position as before.

* * *

Jiwe was not having good luck in locating any buyers. She kept running into animals who already had purchased herbs from her, and weren't buying anymore at the moment.

The lioness collapsed a few times out of exhaustion, but she tried to push herself back into gear, all to avoid Shukrani's punishment. She would scout her neutral territories every day, hoping to spot any addicts from other territories, but Jiwe had no luck so far.

Eventually, she was forced to return to the den, to take care of Rahisi, even though she still had one and a half pouches full of herbs.

"Please, can I just get some sleep? I promise I'll sell the rest tomorrow," she begged, after having tended to her mother.

"You're not paying us back fast enough," Shukrani warned her. "It's up to you, if you wanna rest now you'll have to make up for the wasted time later. You know very well how."

Jiwe weighed her options. She had no strength left, and the withdrawal symptoms had begun to bother her too. She desperately needed a break. She opted to go rest, and crush an Oil-Leaf to try and escape all this mess for a while. Tomorrow would be another day.

Days went by very slowly for Jiwe after that. The Bosses went ahead with their threats and forced Jiwe to work part-time with the other females in the prostitution ring. For once, Jiwe was grateful for the fact that she wasn't considered a good-looking lioness. Being the 'bonebag' was proving rather helpful now, since it seemed that nobody was willing to pay to spend time with the likes of her.

Jiwe had more or less picked up the grooming habit again after spending time with Hanaa, but she had stopped grooming herself all together once again, just to appear even less pleasing to the customers.

Shukrani wasn't happy to hear that she wasn't making any additional income, and he decided to put Jiwe's body for sale at a much cheaper price, obtaining the desired result. To make things worse, when Jiwe requested a few Upendi petals, to make the task more bearable, Shukrani denied her request, and told her that she was not meant to be having any fun during her punishment anyway.

As such, Jiwe endured many rough days, which were only made bearable by the occasional Oil-Leaf she was taking. While she felt used, at the same time, the Oil-Leaf enhanced her self-esteem, and helped her keep her confidence up, so unlike Rahisi, Jiwe did not fall into a depression. Instead, she had fun catcalling the other girls in the ring and throwing compliments at them, in her usual flirty and playful manner. She took one day at a time and when things got too bad, she would try to block the pain by remembering Hanaa and concentrating on the good times they had together. Eventually, Jiwe finally earned enough payment and sold enough pouches to seal her debt to the Bosses.

They quickly took her off the ring, since customers weren't very charmed by the loud, dirty lioness hanging around. Jiwe could finally go back to scouting for customers and helping uproot plants and bulbs.

Jiwe's expression brightened up considerably when she was assigned to clear some catnip along with Mwezi. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, and Jiwe was dying to hear what she had been up to in the meantime.

They greeted each other enthusiastically, nuzzling each other and pawing at their faces.

"I heard about the trouble ya got into," Mwezi said, "I felt so bad that I didn't come to the party, but they told us it was cancelled-"

"I know, no worries, yo. It's done and over with, so let's talk about somethin' else."

Mwezi tried hard to drop the subject, but her curiosity got the best of her and asked, "So, what's the deal with these new guys anyway? I heard they were called the 'Fang Gang' or somethin'. Know anythin' about them?"

Jiwe shrugged, not wanting to disclose too many details about what had happened. "I don't know nothin'. Seems ya be better informed than I am, babe."

Mwezi finally noticed Jiwe's unusual and sudden hostility and decided to drop the subject. "Ya should talk to Paku if ya wanna know more. He seems to have all the gossip. Anyway, let's get started, whaddayasay?"

Jiwe nodded, and proceeded to roll around one of the catnip bushes they were supposed to uproot, and began drooling like mad. Mwezi followed her example, over-exposing herself to the catnip. The two of them spent a few minutes acting like silly cubs, sniffing, eating and inhaling as much catnip at once as possible, so as to become desensitized for a couple of hours. This allowed them to uproot the plants without being affected by them and having to take catnip-induced breaks every so often.

Once desensitized, the lioness and the cheetah got to work, concentrated on their task.

"Heard anything from Hanaa?" Mwezi asked after a while, uncomfortable with the prolonged silences between them.

"Nope. Probably just left me for a handsome black-maned bloke, innit?" Jiwe said, snorting slightly.

Mwezi could tell from Jiwe's tone of voice that she was half-joking, so she decided to joke around too and lighten up the mood a bit. "Well, I do have some cheetah friends I could introduce ya to, if ya roll that way."

Jiwe laughed. "Playin' matchmaker now, huh? Nah. Besides, I was already makin' some animals all uncomfortable by bein' loveydovey with Hanaabee. I can't imagine how they would react if they saw me snoggin' a damn cheetah."

Mwezi continued to joke and laugh, and succeeded in improving Jiwe's mood. By the time they were done with the job and received their pay, Mwezi began saying good-bye, but Jiwe stopped her.

"Before ya go... What was that ya said about Paku? Him knowin' all the gossip or somethin'?"

Mwezi lowered her tone of voice when she said, "Ya didn't hear this from me, but it seems he's buyin' his herbs from the Fang Gang now. Apparently they got cheaper prices, and they sell other crazy shit made from stuff other than plants, like horns, hooves, and even animal dung."

Jiwe's ears drooped considerably. She considered Paku a good friend, but he was very quickly to abandon her for cheaper herbs. "I guess lettin' me know he wasn't gonna come back for more was too much to ask."

Mwezi shrugged. "What would ya do in his place? I'd go for the cheaper stuff right away."

Jiwe sighed deeply and pretended not to care at all. "Well, good riddance. I wanna have loyal customers, ya know? The animals know that our gear is quality stuff. I bet there's a reason why the other gang is selling their gear cheaper. I bet it sucks. Anybody tradin' our goodies for less quality crap ain't worth doin' business with."

Mwezi had nothing to add to that, understanding in a way why Jiwe was feeling betrayed. The cheetah and the lioness finally parted ways, and Jiwe headed back to the den in silence, looking very thoughtful. She owed a lot to Paku. It was thanks to him that the parties became such a success. He knew that! Jiwe always told him how grateful she was for his help. Hadn't she shown it? Were the extra free herbs she tossed in for him not enough? She had no idea if she could organize a good party again, without all his contacts out there.

Jiwe returned to the den, and as she tended to Rahisi, she wondered whether she should inform Shukrani and Kiume about what Mwezi had said. Perhaps, if she did, they would start treating her better again, on the other hand, it was their job to find out this sort of thing. Her trust in the two lions had been damaged terribly, and she didn't put it past them to go and harm Paku for having sought the services of another dealer. So the lioness kept quiet for now, but she still scanned the horizon for any sign of him whenever she patrolled the neutral territories.

It wasn't too long before the Bosses noticed a decrease in customers too. Not any one of the dealers, Jiwe included, were earning half of what they used to earn. They needed to get rid of the competition, and fast.

The two lions spent most of their day planning and plotting a way to get back at the Fang Gang. They were brainstorming one afternoon, when they got interrupted by a messenger bird from an old customer of theirs, from a Pride far away. It was the same Pride for which Jiwe used to carry pouches in her belly as a cub.

The messenger came to place a rather big order, with one little catch. The Pride in question didn't feel it was safe enough send their own lions to pick up the stuff, so it was up to the Paka Pride to arrange the delivery.

Kiume and Shukrani were hesitant, not sure they were willing to risk losing more herbs to the Fang Gang, or to the rangers, but when the messenger bird announced what the payment would be, there was no doubt anymore in their minds. The customer was willing to pay with the ingredient list and preparation procedure of two of the new mind-altering substances that the Fang Gang had discovered.

This was precious and worthy information, and if the Paka Pride could improve on those recipes, perhaps they could win some of the previous customers back. As such, they agreed to the offer, and they would send several birds and three dealers by ground to complete the delivery.

Jiwe had been too busy trying to sell more herbs and she had no idea about the latest deal, until she was summoned to Shukrani and Kiume's den early one morning. The sun hadn't even risen yet, and the stars were still visible in the sky.

Jiwe looked around sleepily, wondering if perhaps she had dreamt hearing Shukrani's roars, but hearing the lion calling for her again dispelled her doubts.

Jiwe saw that Rahisi was also awakened by the roars, so she gave her mother a little lick on the head. "Mornin' mom. Amma gonna see what he wants, and will be back later to bring ya food n' water, okay?"

Rahisi smiled and nodded. "Love you, Jiwe," she said, and rested her head on her paws once more.

Jiwe smiled warmly at her. It had been a while since she heard those words from Rahisi's lips. Hearing yet another impatient roar calling her name, Jiwe then made her way to where the two lions were sitting. In front of them were several pouches, all sealed and ready to be swallowed. But what caught Jiwe's attention, was the presence of two leopards next to Shukrani. One was about her age or older, while the other one was just a little cub, probably a few months old.

Jiwe already thought she could recognize the older leopard. He was her very first guest at her very first party, and since he kept coming often, Jiwe had gotten to recognize him in the meantime. She had no idea who the little cub was, though. But before she could ask, Shukrani addressed the three of them.

"Okay, listen up! You three are going to be travelling together to Kijani territory. Jiwe here knows the way," he said, motioning with his head towards Jiwe. "You'll stick to the following story: Jiwe found the cub lost somewhere, and was able to locate the older brother later along the way, and she's now escorting you both to your home. Any questions so far?"

Jiwe had no idea that her first guest had now become a dealer too and that they would be working together. She looked at the two leopards, who seemed a bit scared and quite uneasy with the task. Jiwe glanced at the pouches, and then at Shukrani. "Um, when do we leave?"

"Right away, of course."

"Oh... But... I need to get mom her meat and water first! And who will care for her when I'm gone for that long?"

Shukrani looked thoughtful for a moment, and replied, "How about Mwezi? I'm sure she wouldn't mind keeping an eye on your mother while you're gone. I'll be meeting her today at the Blackroot field so I can tell her right away."

"Oh, that would be great," Jiwe said, feeling relieved, since she was sure that sweet old Mwezi would gladly help.

Shukrani nodded at her. "Fine, that's settled then. All right, you start swallowing these, Kiume is bringing the next batch shortly."

Jiwe frowned, seeing that there were already way too many pouches spread before them. Were they actually expecting them to carry even more?

The lion walked away for a moment, and Jiwe took the opportunity to speak to the leopards.

"First time swallowin' pouches?" she asked.

They both nodded, looking quite nervous and distressed.

"It ain't no biggie, ya just grab one like this, and swallow it like this," Jiwe said, showing them how to do it. "Drink a bit of water if it gets stuck in ya throat, just don't drink too much, cause ya'll feel 'em dancin' in yer belly and it ain't a nice feelin', ya know what I'm sayin'?"

She swallowed a pouch skillfully as an example, making it look rather easy. The two leopards tried to follow her instructions, but they were having problems keeping the pouches down. Jiwe remembered the feeling all too well, so she tried to be encouraging.

"Ya might feel kinda sick, but ya gotta do yer best and keep em down. Try not to think about it too much."

Jiwe noticed that the leopard cub was taking his time swallowing the pouches, but she didn't say a thing. She only patted him on the head and whispered, "Ya doin' great buddy, keep it up."

Kiume eventually brought up a few more, and Jiwe was about to pick another one when Shukrani stopped her. "I've been keeping count. You swallowed enough already, the rest are for them."

Jiwe couldn't do anything but watch how the leopards stuffed themselves, resulting in two, very queasy dealers.

"I won't get far with them in this sorry state, Shuk... Can't we leave some of them pouches behind?" Jiwe pleaded.

"No," Shukrani said without hesitation. "The cub's still got room for more. Unless you can think of another place where I can stuff these," he added, shooting Jiwe a warning glare, silencing Jiwe effectively.

When all pouches had been ingested, Shukrani sent the three dealers off. "There will be an elephant following your steps, for your protection, but also to keep a good eye on you three, so no funny business, okay? Once you deliver the goods, the leopards can do whatever they please. You will come back as soon as you receive the payment and don't stray from the path you already know," he told Jiwe.

The lioness nodded, and motioned the leopards to follow her. "C'mon, guys. The place is far as hell so we better get walkin'."

Jiwe knew better than to try and strike a conversation with the leopards. Talking only made the nausea worse, and as such, she kept quiet, encouraging them every so often. The only thing she ventured to ask were their names. The older leopard was Hodari, and the cub was called Ndoto.

They eventually stopped for a short break and a quick drink. The older leopard seemed to be faring better than the cub, who looked rather sick and miserable.

"Ya tired? Would it help if I carry ya for a while?" Jiwe asked.

Ndoto shrugged. "I just wanna barf," he replied, drooling uncontrollably.

Jiwe let out a deep sigh. "Come, maybe it'll help if you don't walk for a while."

The lioness had never picked up a cub in her lifetime, so she wasn't sure whether she was doing it right. But hearing no complaints from Ndoto, she assumed he was comfortable.

They resumed their trip in complete silence, keeping an eye on rangers, and taking turns to sleep while the other one kept guard. The elephant nearby made sure that the three dealers stayed within the path. Jiwe was unsure why Shukrani felt the need to warn them about 'no funny business'. It was not as if they were planning to escape and steal the herbs for themselves or something. She assumed he was just getting paranoid, thinking everyone was a spy for the Fang Gang.

As they got closer to Kijani territory, all of a sudden, Ndoto couldn't hold the pouches back anymore, and he threw them all up.

"Oh, man, that's disgusting," Hodari said, feeling queasier at the sight of the soggy pouches lying on the ground.

"Just hold it together, Hodari! Think of nice things, and just... Don't look, okay? Go take some deep breaths over there where you can't see or smell this goop, go on!"

Hodari distanced himself and tried his best not to throw up on the spot as well.

Jiwe in the meantime tried to console Ndoto, who had started crying loudly and calling for his mom.

"Shh, it's okay, we're almost there, ya know. You just need to swallow them again and-"

"Please, please don't make me swallow them again, please, Miss Jiwe," the little cub pleaded as tears rolled down his face.

Jiwe remembered this scene all too well. She once was in Ndoto's spot, pleading at the Bosses to spare her any further discomfort. The memory of that day came rushing back to her, and it was as if she could feel Ndoto's discomfort herself.

"Okay, okay, just calm down, we'll see what we can do," Jiwe said, while Ndoto clutched her bony leg in a tight hug, burying his nose into her dusty fur.

"Please, not again, I promise I'll be good! I promise!" he replied, his voice shaky and muffled.

Jiwe looked down at him, frowning slightly. "Whaddayamean?"

At that moment, Hodari returned, looking slightly less queasy, but visibly distressed, seeing Ndoto in such a state. He gave Ndoto a few reassuring licks and said, "We just gotta complete this one task, lil' bro... We can do it, right? No more punishments after that."

Jiwe looked at him. "What are you guys talkin' about? Punishment? This ain't no punishment, this is how we dealers make a living, yo! Ya better get used to it cause we do this a lot."

"We're no dealers," Hodari replied, "The lions just got mad because they caught me buying powders from the other dudes. They snatched my bro here and told me I'd only get him back alive if I agreed to be a herb-mule for them, for this deal in particular."

Jiwe's eyes were opened wide as she listened to their story. She turned to Ndoto and asked, "And why were you punished?"

"Cause I made peepee in their den," the cub said between sobs, "So now I gotta eat these icky bags! I tried but I couldn't hold it!"

Jiwe shook her head in disbelief. "I don't get it, if you're not going to become dealers for the Pride, then why would they send two inexperienced animals with me to close this important deal? Why not one of the other dealers, who are already used to swallowing this stuff?"

Hodari snorted. "It's obvious, don't you see? They know things are getting quite ugly out there. There's fights out there, Fangs killing Pakas... Your bosses probably didn't wanna risk losing their best workers to a ranger or to the other gang."

"But I'm one of their best dealers, yo!" Jiwe replied, feeling insulted at the thought that Shukrani and Kiume could find her so easily expendable. "I've made, like, one mistake. One! This is bullshit."

The two leopards remained silent, while Jiwe seethed, mumbling things to herself.

"So what do we do now?" Hodari asked, his mouth foaming once again as the pouches tried to find their way out.

Jiwe let out a deep breath. "We're almost there, guys. Let's just deliver the stuff. I'll get the payment and bring it back to the Bosses, and ya guys can return to wherever ya came from."

"Won't the elephant follow us?" Ndoto said, looking up at her through puffy, red eyes.

Jiwe shook her head. "You had Shuk's permission to do as you please. Besides, I'll have the payment. That's worth more to them than us three combined. The elephant will follow me."

"What about these then?" Hodari said, pointing at the mess of pouches that had been concealed within Ndoto.

Jiwe looked at the cub, who had started to tremble just at the thought of having to go through that ordeal again. The lioness then took a deep breath, and told Hodari, "Ya might wanna look the other way, stud."

Hodari raised an eyebrow, but took Jiwe's advice and forced himself to look away when he saw Jiwe had begun to swallow Ndoto's filthy pouches, without even a grimace.

Jiwe kept it up until she felt extremely uncomfortable and heavy, but there were still four pouches to conceal. She was afraid that if she ate any more, all of them would come out in one go, rendering her extra effort useless. She remembered what Shukrani had said before she left, about concealing pouches somewhere else. She knew what he meant. Some of the girls at the prostitution ring had shown her alternate methods of concealing herbs within one's body.

She had never done it before, but there was a first time for everything, so they said. Jiwe let out a deep sigh and made up her mind.

Hodari watched as Jiwe picked the remaining pouches with her mouth and walked away, attempting to hide behind a patch of tall grass nearby. He approached her with curiosity, wondering whether the lioness was planning to just ditch the pouches in the middle of nowhere. But it soon became very clear what Jiwe was attempting to do.

"Wait!" he called.

Jiwe's head popped up from the tall grass. "Um, how about a lil' privacy here, stud?" she said nonchalantly, trying to find a bit of humour in this rather tense situation.

"Look... I appreciate you swallowing those filthy, disgusting things to help my lil' bro here... But you don't have to do... _that_. Come, let's just get together and we'll figure something out."

Jiwe sighed in relief and returned to where Ndoto was waiting for them. She heard them discussing something between each other in hushed tones.

"Okay," Hodari said, turning to Jiwe, "Ndoto thinks he should be fine carrying two pouches. I'll take the other two. But then we try and rush to wherever we're going before I empty my stomach too. Deal?"

Jiwe smiled at Ndoto gratefully and said, "Thanks, squirt, two pouches should be easy as hell. Ya won't even feel 'em!"

After that tense moment, the trip went on quite uneventfully. They reached the Kijani territory and delivered the pouches, after giving them a rinse in nearest river. Jiwe in turn memorized the two recipes for the more popular powders that the Fang Gang had been dealing lately. To top it off, the Kijani leader was so pleased with the speed of the delivery, that he even taught Jiwe a third recipe for free. The lion had explained to Jiwe that the reason why he was sharing this information with her, was because the Fang products were indeed of lesser quality, and he was looking forward to see what the legendary Paka Pride could do to improve the recipes.

While Jiwe was busy talking to the other lion, Hodari sat a few meters away, and waited for her. He appreciated Jiwe's assistance and understanding during the trip. Hodari had always seen her as a low-life, dirty oil-head, but somewhere under that bony ribcage of hers was a friendly, helpful heart that didn't show up quite often. Hodari knew that Jiwe could be very manipulative, but he saw a side of her today he had never seen before.

Having lived like a dealer for a couple of days also made him realize just how tough Jiwe's job could be. It wasn't all fun and parties, he could now see that, and he felt genuinely sorry for her.

It was finally time to say good bye. The leopards and the lioness wished each other a safe trip home, and Hodari patted Jiwe on the shoulder, saying, "You gotta get out of there, J. You gotta do it, before it's too late."

Jiwe made her way home, while Hodari's words still rang in her ears. She also kept thinking of little Ndoto, who had given her a warm hug and a kiss, and promised not to tell anyone how she had helped him carry almost all of his pouches. It would be their secret, so that she wouldn't get punished later.

_Punishment_, the lioness thought. That's basically how the last months of her life had felt like. The loss of Hanaa, the whole party fiasco, the attack on her, and the Bosses' attitude towards her, it all felt just like a big, long punishment. Jiwe still couldn't determine why. To her, having lured animals like Hodari into the addictive world of herbs was just a way to make a living. Her own herb-tainted mind couldn't yet see the damage she had caused to herself and to others.

She spent most of the trip musing about this, until she reached Paka territory. She spotted Mwezi in the distance, working hard as usual, digging for Blackroot together with a few more addicts.

Since Jiwe had to walk past them anyway, she decided to stop for a minute and greet her.

"Hey, Mwezi! How ya doin', babe? Workin' hard, I see!"

Mwezi looked up, covered in mud and dirt, but she gave Jiwe a toothy grin. "Yeah, unlike you! Where ya been, holiday or somethin?"

Jiwe chuckled. "I wish, heh. Hey, listen, while I'm here, just wanted to say thanks a bunch for looking after my mom, I really appreciate it."

Mwezi tilted her head. "What? Your mom? I haven't seen her in forever, girl, what are you talkin' about?"

Jiwe felt the blood draining from her face, all the way to her paws. "Shukrani was supposed to tell you to look after her while I was gone!"

Mwezi folder her ears back, looking very distressed. "Oh, Jiwe, I had no idea, I saw him a couple of times, but he never mentioned a thing! Ya think he might have asked someone else?"

Jiwe didn't reply. Despite feeling exhausted from the long trip and the lack of Oil-Leaves, the lioness rushed to Rahisi's resting spot as fast as her legs could carry her.

She eventually slowed down, feeling her throat constrict in a tight knot, and her eyes burning. She didn't have to see Rahisi, to know what had happened to her during her absence. The strong smell of decay, the sound of flies buzzing madly, and several dried-up coconut-halves gave away Rahisi's horrible fate.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

I've updated the FAQ page with information on what the herbs are and their effects. You can find the FAQs here: **hippie . nu / ~caniche / storiesFAQ / nichersfaq . html **(Remove the spaces!)


	10. Payback Time

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 10: Payback Time**

Jiwe had never felt this angry or betrayed in her life. She had been through many things, but nothing could be compared to the pain she felt, knowing that her mother was gone. Jiwe knew that Rahisi had many faults, but they still loved each other, and without her and Hanaa, Jiwe felt completely alone in the world.

Jiwe had hoped that Rahisi had passed away in her sleep, dreaming peacefully, or perhaps while doing an Oil-Leaf. But from the looks of it, Rahisi had been dragging her stiff body around in search for something to drink. This only served to fuel Jiwe's anger, and without stopping to think it over, she ran to find Shukrani and Kiume.

The two lions were at the den, looking quite chipper at having busted one of the Fang Gang's deals, capturing and killing the dealer. They were laughing and joking, until Kiume noticed Jiwe running towards them.

"Oh, look, the bonebag's back," he said, curious to hear how her deal had gone.

Jiwe stopped in front of them, foaming from her mouth and panting heavily. She looked deranged, and couldn't even begin to tell them just how mad she was.

"Wow, look at this one, looks like she needs an Oil-Leaf or two," Shukrani said chuckling, "But before that, how did it go? Did you deliver all the pouches?"

Jiwe only stared at them, growling deeply.

"You didn't catch the rabies, did you?" Kiume said, frowning slightly.

Without any warning, Jiwe jumped at Shukrani and tried to bite him, but the strong lion overpowered her easily.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, his good mood quickly fading.

"Oh, don't you know?" Jiwe screamed between sobs, squirming under his grasp, trying to break free, "You left my mother to rot! She starved 'n died of thirst! You just discarded her like she was just some piece o' trash! How could you?"

Shukrani stared down at Jiwe, nonplussed. "Oh, that! I knew I had forgotten something. Didn't I tell you, Kiume? That I was forgetting something and I couldn't tell what it was?"

Kiume chuckled, playing along. They both had agreed that Rahisi was nothing but a waste of resources, and Jiwe would do better to occupy her time in other dealing-related matters, instead of spending time taking care of Rahisi and feeding her every day.

Jiwe couldn't contain herself and began calling them all the bad words she had learned through the years, to the amusement of the two lions, who found her anger all too funny. Jiwe had always been friendly and laid back, and to see her ranting at them like this was something new. They tolerated her insults for a while, but eventually Shukrani silenced her by pressing a paw to her throat.

"Okay, that's enough. You've had your time to vent, not let's move on to business. What recipes did you learn from the Kijani leader?"

Shukrani had loosened his grip on Jiwe's throat slightly, so as to let her talk, but Jiwe spat on his face and snarled, "I ain't tellin' ya nothin', ya piece o' shit!"

Shukrani slapped Jiwe hard on the face, with claws outstretched. "I'm getting tired of this game, bonebag. You're going to tell us what you learned, or you'll regret it!"

Jiwe snorted, as tears of pain and humiliation streamed down her face. "Whatcha gonna do that you ain't done already? Gonna sell my body? Done that! Gonna kill my family? Oh wait, ya just did that!"

"I can make it so that you never see an Oil-Leaf in your life, ever," Shukrani snarled very close to Jiwe's face, baring his teeth at her. "You're going to feel so bad, that you'll want to jump off a cliff..."

"Then maybe I'll go and jump! Shame them precious recipes of yours will die with me, innit?" Jiwe said triumphantly. She knew they could not kill her. They needed her alive, at least for now. Jiwe was sure that she had the winning hand, until she heard what Shukrani had to say next.

"Well if you don't care about your own pathetic life, I guess there's not much we can do. Although... We could try a more drastic approach. Maybe we'll just have to start cutting that pretty creamy lioness' claws, one by one, until you quit being such an idiot and tell us what you learned at Kijani territory. And if you still refuse to talk, maybe an ear or two will follow, or her nice, long and beautiful tail... Hanaa was her name, right? It would be a shame if she had to suffer all that pain, just because of your lack of cooperation."

Jiwe went very quiet, feeling all her courage leaving her within seconds. They couldn't possibly have Hanaa hostage, she hadn't done anything wrong! Or had she? Maybe she was part of the Fang Gang after all? Either way, Jiwe's will to fight faded completely, and she stopped trying to break free from the lion's grasp.

"Well, now that we have your attention, let's try this one more time," Kiume said, as if talking to a young cub, "How about you tell us what you learned?"

"Nah, that can't be. You guys are bluffin'..." Jiwe whispered, trying to persuade herself of the fact.

"Would you like to bet on that, Jiwe?" Kiume droned, "Will you be able to live with yourself knowing that your precious Hanaa will end up ugly and deformed, unable to hunt and defend herself, all because of you?"

Shukrani chuckled along. "Just bring her here already, Kiume. I could use a shag anyway. I think Jiwe might like to watch!"

Jiwe burst into tears again and shook her head. If what they were saying were true, Jiwe wouldn't be able to handle seeing Hanaa hurt because of her own mistakes. "Just... Leave her alone... I'll talk..."

"That's more like it," Shukrani said as he finally released his grip on Jiwe, allowing her to stand up. He knew that having learned about Jiwe's relationship with Hanaa would come in handy sooner or later.

Between sobs, the lioness began repeating the ingredients of the mind-altering substances she had memorized earlier, as well as the preparation methods. However, she kept to herself the fact that the Kijani leader had decided to share a third recipe with her.

She was forced to stick around while the dealers gathered the ingredients, and the lions attempted to recreate the substances. They were both powder-based, and the powders had to be dissolved in water and taken orally. The first powder consisted of a mixture of elephant nails and Grant gazelle horn, and was said to induce severe hallucinations, stronger ones and for a much longer period than the ones obtained through the Paka mushrooms. The users reported seeing weird things even several days later after taking the powder.

The other recipe was for an energetic beverage, made of dehydrated, powdered flowers, meant to boost the hunter's performance, although most of the users were using it for recreational purposes, running around for no reason other than it feeling good.

Once the two lions had recreated the two beverages, they gave samples to a few addicts. They reported similar results as to what was expected. Kiume and Shukrani looked satisfied, and until then, they finally allowed Jiwe to wander around the territory, under the threat that she was being closely watched, and they wouldn't tolerate any more stupidity from her side.

"Please... I'll do whatever ya want... Just let me see Hanaa..."

Shukrani gave Jiwe a cheeky grin and told her, "You were right! We _were_ bluffing. We have no idea where that lioness is, to be honest. But I can see why she fled. Nobody in their sane mind would want to spend time with a smelly, ugly Oil-head like you. Get real, Jiwe. Just look at yourself. You're not even hyena-material when it comes to the looks department."

The Bosses turned around and left Jiwe seething. She crumbled to the ground in a heap of sobs. On one hand, she felt relieved to know that Hanaa wasn't locked up somewhere with little food or water. On the other hand, she didn't know whether to believe the two lions anymore. The little confidence she still had left in them was completely shattered now.

Jiwe was craving an Oil-Leaf like never before. Maybe she'd take two, or three... or all of her stash. She didn't care. But before getting lost in her imaginary world, maybe for forever, there was one task she wanted to do first.

With a heavy heart, the lioness headed to Rahisi's favorite resting place, with the intention of giving her mother a more dignified final place of rest. She was surprised to find Mwezi there, apparently waiting for Jiwe.

"I thought I'd find you here," Mwezi said, "Oh, man, Jiwe, I swear I had no clue!"

"I know, babe... Shukrani planned it all like this. They couldn't give her a quick death, no. They had to let it drag on for days..."

They fell silent for a moment, since Jiwe felt once again a knot in her throat and couldn't speak anymore.

Mwezi let out a deep sigh and nuzzled Jiwe gently. "Is there anything I can do for ya, sweetie? I can fetch ya somethin' to eat, or maybe some water from the pond. I got some herbs to share, if ya need that too..."

Jiwe wiped her moist face with a paw and shook her head. "I just want to get her out of here, take her somewhere nicer, ya know?"

Mwezi nodded. "Well, I can help ya with that, if ya want. But if ya rather be alone, I understand. I just wanted to make sure ya were okay, and that ya won't do anything crazy..."

Jiwe looked at her, appreciating her concern. "Anythin' crazy?"

"Yeah, I dunno, like tryin' to take on Shukrani and Kiume in their sleep or somethin', heh," Mwezi said, trying to lighten up the mood. The truth was that she was seriously worried about Jiwe, as she had no idea how she'd take the loss of her mother.

Jiwe's sad face broke into a smile and she said, "Stop puttin' ideas in me head, then."

Mwezi smiled back, sighing in relief, unaware of what was really going on through Jiwe's mind.

Jiwe had seriously considered, for a brief moment, to end her life with an Oil-Leaf overdose. Who knew, she might still do it eventually, but she decided that if she was going down, she would somehow take the Bosses down with her.

In the meantime, the lioness accepted the cheetah's company for now, and reassured her that there were no crazy plans formulating in her head. Between the two of them, they dragged Rahisi's body away, outside of Paka territory. Jiwe found a good spot for Rahisi, right under an acacia tree that was in full bloom. Whenever the the wind blew, the breeze would dislodge some of the little, white petals. A few of them landed softly on top of Rahisi's remains.

"Ya couldn't have picked a more lovely spot for her," Mwezi said, wiping a tear off her face.

Jiwe and Mwezi kept a short, respectful, moment of silence. Jiwe bid farewell to her mother, surrendering her remains to the earth and any predators who would find her.

They finally returned back to Paka territory, feeling quite uncertain about what the future had in stock for the two of them.

"You're welcome to share my den, if ya get lonely," Mwezi told Jiwe, knowing that the skinny lioness always looked forward to a nap with her mom.

"Thanks, babe, but I'll be fine. Don't ya worry, okay?" Jiwe said, trying her best to be strong.

They head-butted each other affectionately, and parted ways.

Jiwe decided to look for a different resting spot, far away from where Rahisi used to sleep. She eventually found a comfortable place surrounded by rocks that would shelter her from the wind. The lioness then crushed an Oil-Leaf, and forgot all about her worries for a while, until the moment she touched earth again, and found herself trembling from head to tail. Jiwe could tell that this was not just as a side-effect from the Oil-Leaf. She realized now that without her mother to snuggle against, Jiwe's emaciated body just couldn't generate enough body heat to keep herself warm.

Feeling extremely stiff and cold, the lioness stood up and slowly made her way to Mwezi's den. Through chattering teeth, she asked, "Can I still take ya on that offer, babe?"

Mwezi, who had already lay down and was ready to sleep, scooted over and made room for Jiwe. Once the lioness lay down and made herself comfortable, Mwezi wrapped her legs around Jiwe and held her close. Little by little, the lioness started warming up.

Mwezi smiled as she slowly drifted into a calm sleep. She was glad that Jiwe had come to her. The cheetah definitely had a soft spot for the lioness, after having watched her grow up. In some ways, Jiwe had been the cub she never had.

Jiwe's shivering had now been reduced to the usual trembling left after taking an Oil-Leaf. She felt warm and comfortable, and snuggled closer to Mwezi, glad that she still was around. Jiwe would have fallen asleep by then, but her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts, mainly, the whole idea of taking Shukrani and Kiume down in their sleep. She would need to thank Mwezi for that, if she could pull her plan through.

* * *

Jiwe kept a low profile after the incident, and continued to carry out the orders from the Bosses without complaints. Besides having to uproot plants, and selling the usual herbs, she had now been given a new task: luring thirsty animals lost in the western desert by means of a pouch full of tempting, powder-spiked water. Nobody could resist being offered the refreshing liquid, and as such, Jiwe still managed to turn many more innocent and naive animals into addicts. She even managed to recruit a lion or two, who decided to stay and work as a dealer for the Paka Pride, forgetting all about their previous lives. Whether they had a family or a mate, it didn't matter. The herbs were much stronger than their family ties.

Jiwe wasn't too bothered by this; she did what she had to do to get by, without getting into trouble. Her plan depended on the Bosses not paying any attention to her, and if she had to use a few animals for the purpose, then so be it. Her comfort thought was that it was not like she was chugging the spiked-water down their throats by force. They took it willingly. And they were the ones who kept looking for Jiwe to get more. She became slightly popular once again, and even had a few heated, herb-induced encounters with the new lions. But once Jiwe sobered up, and the lions left her looking disgusted at having gotten carried away with the likes of her, she still felt rather empty inside.

Finally, the day came in which Jiwe could tell that the Bosses no longer saw her as a threat. They had decided to ease their security measures on her. The birds that had been circling her from above, and all those animals casually following her wherever she went, were put to better use by being sent to search for ingredients to improve the current formulas of the Fang Gang's concoctions.

It had been a tough period, but Jiwe knew that persistence had paid off. Away from prying eyes, she began a search on her own, trying to locate a plant they knew as Chew-Leaf. It was not an unfamiliar herb for the Paka Pride; its properties of somewhat improving one's mood were well known by them. But the Bosses already had herbs that did a much better job at that, and which were far more addictive, so they forgot all about the Chew-Leaf in the meantime. However, the third recipe that Jiwe had learned from the Kijani leader involved the use of Chew-Leaf, a lot of it. It seemed that in very high doses, the herb also worked as a very good sedative. Enough torn Chew-leaves left to soak in water for a couple of days could knock a full-grown lion out.

Jiwe figured this was the stuff she had been given to drink the day of her flopped party. As such, she had been busy collecting as many Chew-leaves as possible, keeping them in water inside an old coconut-half that she left by Rahisi's old resting place. That place was full of used coconut halves, which Jiwe had piled up neatly after moving her mother's body. One more coconut half hidden between the rest wouldn't attract anyone's attention.

In time, she had managed to produce a rather good Chew-Leaf concentrate that she could now add to someone's meat, or drink. The Kijani leader advised that using liquids worked better, so all Jiwe needed now was a chance to spike Kiume and Shukrani's share of fermented fruit juice. Once they were unconscious, Jiwe would rip their throats out. At least that was her plan.

Jiwe bid her time, waiting for the right moment. Meanwhile, she spent her free time searching the Paka territory for any signs of Hanaa, just in case she was a hostage after all. Jiwe also held back her tongue whenever the Bosses threw derogatory remarks at her. She did her best to keep them satisfied. Jiwe also began saving as much herbs as she could, knowing that once the Bosses were dead, getting her paws on the stuff might be more complicated. She also hinted to Mwezi that she should do the same, making the cheetah wonder what Jiwe might be up to.

It was during a lovely, sunny day, that Jiwe's idea of killing the Bosses was put to the test. She had been digging out Blackroot bulbs along with Mwezi and a few others, when they heard loud, happy roaring all the way from the lions' den. It was Shukrani, summoning Kiume and anyone else near enough to hear him.

"Hmm... I wonder what's up," Mwezi said, stopping her work and shaking herself to dislodge soil and dirt from her pelt.

"Okay, everyone, just stop what you're doing and follow me to the den," Kiume said. He had been supervising them as they worked, but he seemed very eager to go back. "Hurry now, chop-chop!"

The addicts picked up the bulbs they had managed to find and followed Kiume with curious expressions. Jiwe remained silent most of the way, and sat down next to Mwezi to wait for Shukrani's announcement. He was standing between his elephant bodyguards, looking smug and proud.

"Listen up, everyone! I have great news! Today is a great day for our Pride. Not only have we created a much better version of one of the Fang's potions, but also, we managed to capture one of their leaders today!"

Everyone gasped as Shukrani waved with his paw, and one of the elephants knelt over slightly. Something rolled off his back and onto the ground with a loud thud.

Jiwe craned her neck to see better, and found out that it was battered-up and wounded lion, barely breathing.

Everyone tried to get closer to take a better look, while Shukrani smiled proudly. Kiume joined his side and mumbled a few words of praise for his good work in tracing at least one of the bastard competitors down.

Jiwe quickly lost interest, while her mind and body began to remind her that her next fix should be coming up soon. But she was forced to stop day-dreaming and pay attention when she heard Shukrani calling her name.

"Jiwe, come here," he said, motioning with his paw to come closer.

The crowd that had gathered made way for the lioness, who approached Shukrani nervously, wondering if she had done something wrong. But Shukrani still appeared content, and he pointed down at the agonizing lion, saying, "Recognize this guy?"

Jiwe looked down at the wounded lion, whose face was bloody and swollen. But even through the wounds, Jiwe could tell who it was. It was the lion that came together with his mate and with Hanaa. It was the guy who had taken advantage of her in the most cowardly fashion. She felt her rage building up at the sight of him. He gave no sign of having recognized her, he was probably too weak to apologize to her and to plead for his life.

Jiwe looked away and nodded. "I do, Shuk." She didn't feel like elaborating more in front of all the curious onlookers.

Shukrani gave her a little, wicked grin. "Since you've finally learned your place in this Pride, and you've been behaving like a proper, well-trained dealer, I've decided to give you a little gift."

Shukrani pushed the wounded lion towards Jiwe, chuckling slightly. "He's all yours, Bonebag. You can finish him off if you want."

Jiwe pricked her ears, not believing what she had just heard. "Huh? Ya want me to snuff this guy? For real?" she blurted out.

Shukrani raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "What, aren't you mad at him? I would be if he had done to me what he did to you."

Jiwe looked down at the wounded lion again and replied softly, "I am mad... No, not mad, I'm friggin' pissed, yo! I hate his guts!" Jiwe said, as tears of rage began building up in her tears. She had wished for this lion's death many times. She had wished him all sorts of illnesses and misfortunes. And now it was up to her to send him packing. But Jiwe just couldn't bring herself to do it.

She had never killed anything in her life, all the food she had eaten was thanks to the herbs she sold and carried. She found herself staring at the exposed throat of her rapist, not knowing exactly where to bite, how much pressure to administer... Jiwe was actually feeling terrified at the thought.

"Well?" Shukrani said, visibly impatient, "Either you do it or I do it, so make up your mind."

Jiwe became more and more hesitant. Fantasizing about killing someone had been so easy and yet, now that she had the chance, Jiwe realized that she was no killer. It might have been different if she was killing for her sustenance, but she knew very well that this was not the case. This was killing for fun. And Jiwe, always calm and peaceful, couldn't see any joy in it.

She finally shook her head and said, "Sorry, Shuk... I can't do it."

Shukrani let out a mocking laugh and pushed Jiwe aside. "Psh, a lioness who can't kill. You're useless."

Without further ado, Shukrani bit on the Fang Leader's throat, until the lion stopped moving and thrashing with his paws.

Jiwe watched as the life got extinguished out of him, and more than ever she felt completely sure that she wouldn't have had the guts to do it, not even if she hated the lion and wished he were death. This certainly put a damper in Jiwe's plans. She might wish Shukrani and Kiume were carrion for the hyenas, but would she be able to give the killing bite? She was not so sure anymore.

The lioness got distracted from her thoughts when a random addict started cheering, and the rest followed. Kiume and Shukrani stood together, side by side, looking very satisfied. Jiwe couldn't stand the sight and looked away, feeling defeated. Mwezi padded to her side and gave her a gentle nuzzle, sensing that something was troubling her greatly.

"I declare a party today," Shukrani said, "Anyone is welcome to feed from this guy here, and just because I'm so happy, I might give you guys extra herbs! Call the whores and bring them here too!"

Everyone else cheered again, and several animals rushed to start eating, making Jiwe's stomach turn. She turned around with the intention of going back to her resting spot, but Mwezi stood in front of her.

"Care for a walk?" she asked.

Jiwe, who desperately needed someone to confide into, accepted her invitation, and as they walked the borders of the Paka Pride, Jiwe poured her heart out to Mwezi, telling her all about the recipe she had learned, and how she had been planning to use it to kill Kiume and Shukrani while they were defenceless. She was not worried about being overheard, mostly everyone had rushed to the Bosses' den when they heard about the possibility of extra herbs, so Jiwe didn't hold back and told Mwezi every little detail of her plan.

"I knew you were up to something, just knew it!" Mwezi said, "It's a good plan, they'll never see it comin' from ya..."

"Yeah, well, only it looks like I won't be able to go through with it, innit? I don't have what it takes to take someone in me mouth and choke 'em to death. I hated that guy and even then I just couldn't do it."

"How about ya slice 'em open, huh? It's easy, ya just go like this," Mwezi added helpfully, making a slicing motion with her claws.

Jiwe extended her blunt and damaged claws, destroyed by the Oil-Leaf. She showed them to the cheetah, sighing. "Meh, with these, I'll be lucky if I can take off a few clumps of their mane."

Mwezi had to agree, Jiwe's claws were useless. The cheetah sighed and sat down, and invited Jiwe to join her. "What if ya don't kill them?"

Jiwe looked at her, listening and taking in any suggestions. "Then what?"

"Well," Mwezi added, looking thoughtful, "Ya just herb 'em up, and ya leave."

Jiwe blinked a couple of times. "Huh? Leave? Where would I go?"

"Anywhere! Go find some other Pride to join, far away from these guys who won't hesitate to snuff us if we get in their way, like they did with that lion."

"Like they did with my mom..." Jiwe added softly, staring into the horizon, pondering her options.

Mwezi looked at Jiwe and told her, "You're still young, I'm sure ya can make a fresh start somewhere else. I know you're strong. Ya can do it."

"What about my herbs? What if I can't find them anywhere else?"

Mwezi knew very well how Jiwe felt. She also felt tied to this territory for fear of not being able to get her next fix. "I ain't got the solution to that, but the way I see it, If ya end up leaving, ya got two choices: Either ya end up findin' herbs somewhere else, or ya gonna end up gettin' clean."

"Scary thought," Jiwe said, sincerely terrified of what her life would be like without her trusted herbs. No, getting clean was definitely not on her priorities, and instead, her devious mind was already coming up with alternative solutions to that problem.

"It makes sense, girl," Mwezi went on, "If ya walk away, ya won't even need to use your Chew-leaf potion. Ya can just leave now, while everyone's distracted.

Jiwe remained silent for a moment. It was a tempting idea, but Jiwe knew that the birds would quickly notify the Bosses if she was seen crossing borders when she wasn't meant to be. No, she had to do something about Shukrani and Kiume first. They needed to be out of the game before she could safely plan an escape. She liked Mwezi's idea of running away. It would be tough, but she had had enough of her life in this Pride.

Jiwe's face broke into a little grin and she finally shook her head at Mwezi. "I didn't gather all them Chew-Leaves for nothin', babe. I'll put 'em to good use. Besides, I could use a bit of fun at the Bosses' expense, for a change."

"Ow, Jiwe... You ain't seeing the bigger picture here! So you have your bit of fun. Then what? Will ya stick around for them to punish ya, or worse, have 'em send ya packin' to meet yer mom in the afterlife?"

Jiwe shook her head. "No way, I'm takin' yer advice and do as you say. I'll leave after that. I ain't sticking around, but neither will ya. Ya comin' with me!"

Mwezi's ears drooped slightly. "What?"

Jiwe turned to Mwezi and said softly, "C'mon, we both know this place is goin' to the wild dogs, and trust me, ya don't wanna be here when it happens. The Fang Gang will surely want revenge for their dead leader. A war's just startin', babe. Why get caught in the middle? Say ya'll come with me, please..."

Mwezi looked away uneasily. "I dunno, Jiwe, ya might be ready to give up on them herbs but I don't think I wanna do that just yet..."

"Ya won't have to, and neither will I! We'll take as many pouches as we can with us, and then find a place to grow our own gear."

"Jiwe! Are you friggin' insane?" Mwezi hissed, "We'll never get past their bodyguards! Ya know there's a rhino or two guarding the pouches ever since ya broke into the hideout!" The cheetah shook her head and added, "This is crazy. Count me out, hun. If ya wanna leave, go ahead, I'll cover up for ya and erase your tracks as best as I can, but leave me out of this."

Jiwe rolled her eyes and faced Mwezi, looking very determined all of a sudden. "Look, if I manage to sort out them bodyguards too, will ya help me steal the gear, and leave with me? Please?"

Mwezi grunted, knowing she would be getting in deep trouble if they got caught. She eventually looked at Jiwe, who was staring back at her, her ears perked up, looking hopeful.

"Fine..." Mwezi sighed, admitting defeat. She liked the idea of starting a new life somewhere else, together with Jiwe, but the sound of Jiwe's crazy plan put her on edge. "Do I need to do anything?"

Jiwe nodded. "Yeah, whatever happens, don't eat or drink anything offered at Shuk's party. No water, no fermented fruit juice, no nothin'. And when I shake my tail at ya, like this, ya go and distract them bodyguards with a question or somethin'. Ya got that?" she said, swishing her tail several times in a snake-like movement.

Mwezi nodded, feeling rather nervous about what they were about to do.

When they returned to the lions' den, nobody acknowledged their presence, it was as if they hadn't even noticed they were gone. Mwezi mingled with the rest of the addicts, who were all excited after receiving an extra set of herbs from the Bosses. Everyone was in a great mood, and nobody paid attention when they saw Jiwe carrying a coconut half in her mouth. It contained the Chew-Leaf extract, so she was extra careful not to take an accidental sip.

Jiwe waited until Kiume and Shukrani began showing obvious effects of having drunk too much fermented fruit juice. Once they started holding each other close, singing loudly about revenge and victory, Jiwe knew the time was right. The body guards were standing nearby, casting longing glances at the empty coconut halves scattered around them.

Jiwe placed her Chew-Leaf extract somewhere safe, and padded casually to the two lions.

"Hey, lookee here, if it isn't that excuse for a lioness who can't kill," Shukrani slurred, pointing his paw uncoordinatedly at Jiwe.

"Oh, come on, Shuk, gimme a break, I was just in shock," Jiwe said, making the best out of the fake confidence remnants from the last Oil-Leaf she had taken. "Besides, I'm really good at other things, innit? Like, my parties were always a blast. Unlike yours, by the way. This party's so boring it looks more like a friggin' wake. Should we start havin' a minute o' silence for that lion ya killed?"

"What are you talking about?" Kiume said, looking around, "Everyone's having a good time."

"No. _You_ guys are having a good time. The rest is watching how you get drunker 'n drunker and makin' asses of yourselves. How about you share some of the juice? That would totally liven up this party."

The two lions looked around, and found themselves the center of attention, after their loud and atrocious singing. All the guests had stopped what they were doing to look at the Bosses and make fun of them in secret.

"Hmm, what the hell, you could be right, this party's dead. Where's the monkeys with their music?" Kiume slurred.

"Nah, no need for that." Jiwe said reassuringly, "I always livened my parties up by givin' away shots of happy juice. Whadayyasay? I can run the bar if ya want. I just need three or four coconuts from your share, that should be enough shots for all the guests present."

Jiwe already knew that whenever the Bosses got drunk, they became easier to manipulate and persuade, and were more willing to share their goods in that state. And just as Jiwe had expected, the two drunken lions seemed to think the idea had merit.

"All right, listen up everyone! Bonebag here will arrange shots of fermented juice for everyone!" Shukrani yelled, to a chorus of cheers from the animals around them, inflating his ego even more.

"Fine, I'll set everythin' up!" Jiwe replied, and with the Bosses' permission, she was allowed to fetch more coconut halves from their secret underground hideout. She passed the herb pouches along the way and whispered jokingly, "I'll be seeing you girls pretty soon," and blew them a playful kiss.

She made several trips to and fro until she had enough coconuts, and she finally gave the tail signal to Mwezi, who acknowledged it with a bow of her head.

Jiwe carefully began mixing her own potion with the juice. Nobody paid her any attention, and Mwezi had been successful in distracting the bodyguards while Jiwe mixed in the stuff. She reserved a few coconuts with larger dosage of Chew-Leaf extract, intended for the Bosses, the elephants and rhinos. The bodyguards might not pass out completely, but the Kijani leader had told Jiwe that such bulky animals would still be affected by the potion, and wouldn't be able to walk in a straight line for a few hours.

Jiwe handed two coconuts to Kiume and Shukrani, who gobbled up the drink in one go. The lioness then quickly offered drinks to the bodyguards, who thought that one little shot of juice couldn't do much harm. They drank it all quickly before the bosses noticed them drinking on the job.

Jiwe then began handing shots to the addicts, until one by one, the animals starting falling asleep. Shukrani and Kiume were the first ones to pass out, and the rest of the addicts followed. The bodyguards were still standing, but Jiwe could tell that they were having a lot of problems keeping their own balance, and their speech wasn't all quite controlled.

Mwezi approached Jiwe. "Okay, so they're all heading into lala land... How much time have we got?"

Judging by the animals around her, Jiwe could tell that a lot of them were not knocked out, just acting extremely drunk.

"I dunno, babe... when they gave it to me, I was out in seconds and it lasted the whole night until midday. But these guys are still awake... I guess I needed more Chew-leaves to herb-up all this lot..."

Mwezi glanced at the bosses. "Well, the Bosses seem to be out and that's what matters. Let's make a run for it now."

"Not without the pouches, come on!" Jiwe said, and broke into a sprint, until she reached the underground hideout. The lioness was panting heavily but she didn't slow to catch her breath, Instead, she began swallowing one pouch after another, as many as her belly could carry without making her terribly sick.

Mwezi had done her share of pouch-swallowing in the past, so she began following Jiwe's example without any questions. When they both were full, Jiwe looked at the cheetah and said, "This is it... Where do we go now?"

Mwezi, who was already drooling slightly from the discomfort caused by the pouches, shook her head. "No friggin' clue... I thought you knew! Um, where did Hanaa come from? Maybe we can head there and see if her Pride can help?"

Jiwe grinned at Mwezi. "Yeah, she said her Pride loved to help and stuff. But I dunno where they are, all I know is she came from the East."

"Then East it is. We'll figure things out later, come on!" Mwezi said, and climbed out of the underground hideout as fast as she could with her body full of pouches dragging her down.

Jiwe followed, but she stopped just to take one last glance at the Paka territory, the place she had called home all this time. As she looked over her shoulder, she could see that the animals that were still standing, had begun staggering and stumbling out of control. One of the elephants was on its knees, trying desperately to stand up. A rhino seemed to be very intrigued by his own horn and couldn't stop crossing his eyes to stare at it. Her potion had done the trick,and she felt proud of herself. She would have thanked the Fang Gang, if it weren't for the fact that they used that potion on her to get a message across to the Bosses.

Kiume and Shukrani lay together, peacefully asleep. More than ever Jiwe was sure that, despite what her feelings towards those two could be, she could have never given them the killing bite. She was not a murderer.

"Jiwe, come on!" Mwezi urged her.

The lioness took a deep breath, and whispered, "Farewell."

Nobody saw them leave, and the two addicts crossed the borders without anyone noticing.

As they walked away as fast as their herb-stuffed stomachs would allow them, Mwezi began becoming more and more insecure about the whole plan.

"Ya know they will follow our trail, right? Ya know they'll send Kuwasi flyin' around till they notice us! Let's just go back and pretend this never happened, please?" the cheetah said.

"Don't be silly, babe! So what if they follow? We'll be miles away by the time they all come back to their senses!"

"Not at this speed, we won't! Ya know how vindictive they are, they'll chase us down forever! Man, why did I ever agree to this in the first place?"

"Cause I'm awesome and ya can't live without me, innit," Jiwe said, laughing brightly.

"Shut up, Jiwe, I'm bein' serious!"

The lioness slowed down for a moment and faced Mwezi. "Look, all jokin' aside, if ya don't wanna go through with this, that's fine, I won't force ya to come with me into the unknown. Only... well, you're kinda my only friend in this dump and I was really hopin' we could stick together."

"Then let's go back... We'll tell them that someone slipped us all a sleeping potion again."

Jiwe shook her head. "They'll know it was me. They'll find the soaked chew-leaves by the party scene."

"Ow, Jiwe, you stupid cow! How could you leave those there?" Mwezi groaned, cursing out loud.

"I dunno! We were in such a rush to leave that I kinda forgot! But ya see why I cannot go back. So if ya wanna do it, then this is where we part ways. What's it gonna be, babe? Whatever ya choose, it's fine by me. I won't be mad, I promise," Jiwe said, but Mwezi appeared not to be listening to her.

"Babe?" Jiwe asked, but Mwezi silenced her with a warning glare, her nostrils flaring as she tried to pick up scents around her.

"They can't be after us already, ya saw them lying unconscious-" Jiwe whispered, but Mwezi put her paw on Jiwe's mouth and scanned the area around them.

"Jiwe, we're screwed," Mwezi said through clenched teeth, her ears pinned down in fear, "We're surrounded!"

Jiwe's senses went into overdrive as she attempted to pick up smells and sounds. She finally became fully aware of their surroundings and realized that they were indeed not alone. There were several cheetahs surrounding them. They were well groomed and well fed, without any signs of herb usage. These were Rangers.

Jiwe and Mwezi looked into each others eyes, wondering what to do.

"Did ya have any back up plan?" Mwezi whispered.

"Run like hell?"

The cheetah shook her head and couldn't hold back a chuckle. "And outrun all those cheetahs? Even if we weren't fulla pouches we'd never stand a chance. I guess this is where we both die. I never told ya just how much ya meant to me. Ya were like my daughter sometimes..."

It was Jiwe's turn to silence Mwezi with her paw and told her, "Don't say yer good-byes yet, babe. A back-up plan's just occurred to me. I got no time to explain so you'll just have to trust me."

Mwezi looked at Jiwe, and nodded in approval, putting all her trust and faith in the lioness.

Jiwe looked around, took a deep breath, and said out loud, for everyone around her to hear, "Oi, Rangers! We know you're here. We surrender, all right? We won't try to fight, and we won't try 'n escape. We're more than willin' to cooperate, yo. I got a proposal for ya: I'll tell you everything I know about the Paka Pride, every single little detail. I will answer every question ya may have, as long as you let me and my adoptive cheetah-mom here go when you're done questionin' us. The reason we're here is that we had fled the Paka pride in search for a better life. Please don't cut our new beginning short, we beg ya!"

There was a brief moment of silence, that seemed eternal to the two addicts, but eventually they heard the plants rustling around them and the Rangers finally showed themselves, looking very interested in what Jiwe had to say.


	11. Help in Unexpected Places

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 11: Help in Unexpected Places**

Jiwe and Mwezi huddled together, as the cheetahs closed in on them. The Rangers didn't look or act threatening, on the contrary, they seemed friendly and at ease.

One of the cheetahs stepped forward, looking closely at Jiwe. He appeared to be the leader of the party, and was smiling warmly at them.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Muhimu, and this is my team. We're always happy to hear that someone has decided to turn their lives around," he said, taking in discretely the battered looks of Jiwe's body, "And your proposal certainly sounds interesting. I think we're all willing to hear what you have to say."

Mwezi and Jiwe couldn't detect any hint of malice in his voice, which confused the addicts further. They had expected insults, taunts, threats, but the Rangers were calm and composed.

Sensing their distress, Muhimu tried to reassure them. "Don't be afraid, we're not going to hurt you. You've offered us full cooperation and we really appreciate that. Right now there's something we're very interested in," he said, "You mentioned something about the Paka Pride being unconscious? Can you elaborate on that?"

Jiwe glanced at Mwezi, who looked absolutely terrified. The cheetah was also shocked at the fact that Jiwe had referred to her as her adoptive mother. In any other circumstances, this would have warmed up her heart tremendously, but for now, that feeling would have to wait. Mwezi tried to make herself as small as possible, and allowed Jiwe to do all the talking.

Jiwe knew the time had come to speak the truth. She might not have had the guts to kill the Bosses herself, but there were definitely other means to bring them down. And one of those means was standing right in front of her, waiting expectantly for her answer.

The lioness gathered up the courage to talk, hoping that the consequences for her wouldn't be too disastrous. "I- I kinda had to herb 'em all up, so Mwezi and I could escape. There was no other way; they would have sent their bodyguards after us and drag us back."

Muhimu nodded. "I understand... And you think they might still be unconscious?"

"The Bosses, totally, yeah. I made their drink nice and strong. Dunno about the rest, but them bodyguards were actin' loopy too, so ya probably can avoid 'em easily."

The male cheetah looked Jiwe in the eye and said, "How can we be sure that you're not luring us into a trap of some sort? What if we walk into the Paka den only to be ambushed?"

Jiwe scratched her head, unsure how to make them believe her. "Dunno what else to tell ya, but ya can sit here talkin' to me, or ya can take action and get them before they wake up."

Jiwe paused for a moment, biting her lip indecisively. Muhimu picked up on it. "Something else you want to tell me?" he asked.

Jiwe looked at him and replied, "Look, I know I ain't nothing but a dirty, hopeless Oil-head. I can't blame ya lot for not believin' me. So, to show ya I mean well and all, I'll let ya in on a little secret. When ya get to the den, follow the red-stone trail. It'll lead you to a tunnel where the Paka herb stash is hidden."

Mwezi's eyes opened wide, clearly shocked at Jiwe giving away all this information. She wanted to knock some sense into her, but with the Rangers staring at them with curiosity, Mwezi froze down on her spot and opted to stare at the ground instead.

Muhimu listened to her every word, and waited until she was done to say, "I don't think you're dirty or hopeless, dear. On the contrary, it takes a lot of guts to leave your comfort zone behind, to try and seek a better life somewhere else. Only, you understand, I also have to take care of my team, and it's happened many times before that members of my group have been lured into traps, under your Bosses' orders."

Jiwe remained silent, unsure of what else to say. But Muhimu gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and added, "This is what we'll do. We'll try and raid the place, and you will wait for us here. A couple of cheetahs will stay behind with you."

"Yeah, that's cool," Jiwe replied.

Muhimu then turned to the other cheetahs. "All right, you know what to do, let's get this over with. Ajabu, you and your party will stay with the ladies here. The rest, follow me."

The Rangers divided into two groups. The one called Ajabu and three others came closer to the two addicts, while the others followed the leader.

With a quick call, several other animals started showing up. There were leopards, wild dogs and a lion or two, all teaming up to finally enter the well guarded Paka territory. They marched away as one unit, leaving Jiwe and Mwezi in the company of the four cheetahs who were keeping a close eye on them.

"If what you said is true, you'll be doing a great service to every animal in the area, even if it doesn't seem like that to you at the moment," Ajabu said. He appeared somewhat younger than the leader, but he looked strong and confident.

Jiwe and Mwezi nodded quietly. There was nothing else they could do for now, so Jiwe went as far as to lie down, to show them that she had no intentions of running away. Mwezi followed her lead, and they snuggled close together, waiting, and preparing for the worst.

The male cheetah smiled at Mwezi. It was clear to him that she was also underfed, and her growth had been stunted somewhat.

"You girls look tired," he said, trying to be friendly and put them at ease, "When this is all over, if our leader is satisfied with your cooperation, we'll go to a place where you can eat and rest. We have water with us, though, would you like to drink some?"

"No," both addicts replied in unison, knowing that the combination of water and pouches could make them throw up unexpectedly. They chuckled at each other's perfectly timed response, and then Jiwe said, "Thanks, we just ain't that thirsty, stud."

Ajabu raised his eyebrow, blushing slightly. "Yeah, well, if you want some later on, don't be afraid to ask."

Jiwe noticed his blush, and decided to jump into her comfort zone, and began joking and flirting with him. "Ya know, ya guys are really nice, for bein' Rangers."

"We aren't the monsters we're made out to be, you know," Ajabu said, chuckling slightly.

Mwezi looked up at him. "Heh, next thing you'll be tellin' us you guys don't have no torture dungeon-caves where you throw us addicts to rot."

"We don't," he said without hesitation. "Those are just lies told to the addicts, to keep them away from us. Our job is to confiscate herbs, and inform the addicts that there are places where they can get help, if they want it. If they choose to accept it, we can escort them to safety. Now, some addicts take the help, but sometimes, they will react to us in a hostile fashion, especially when we try to take the herbs away. That's why we travel in groups, to protect each other."

Jiwe and Mwezi listened intently, while Ajabu went on, "Those _dungeons_ you've heard of are caves where addicts who want to get clean can be locked up, but only if they consent to it. The rehab prides have never locked anyone up who didn't request it."

"Rehab Prides, huh? It sounds far too nice to be true. I call bullshit," Mwezi said, "If you've really dealt with addicts, ya know we just live for our next fix and we'll do about anything to get it. Sometimes we steal. Sometimes we carry out nasty tasks. Some of us will even go as far as to kill for it. Are ya tellin' me that you lot don't punish addicts for those crimes? Tell me, what happened to them addicts that reacted to you in a _hostile fashion_?"

Ajabu was slightly taken aback by Mwezi's reaction. He hadn't expect the meek, scared cheetah to speak her mind, since up until now Jiwe had done all the talking.

When Ajabu didn't reply, Mwezi said, "Hmmph, thought so already. Offering to help, my tail!"

"It works like this," Ajabu eventually said, "Unfortunately many addicts have not made it after they have tried to launch an attack on us. But we never initiate the attacks, we only act in self defence. We always try to be polite and helpful. If we suspect that someone might be dealing herbs, we will come down hard on them, but we won't go for the throat right away. We always give them the chance to defend themselves first."

Mwezi sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head on her paws. She had heard enough. She was sure she and Jiwe would be killed, or thrown into some cell, 'for their own good.'

Jiwe however, seemed very thoughtful, as she recalled all the times that she had met Rangers while working as a herb-mule. "Ya got a point, stud," she finally told Ajabu.

Mwezi opened her eyes and frowned, looking at Jiwe in disbelief.

"I met lotsa Rangers when I was younger and they were never mean or threatenin'. On the contrary, they were trying to be really helpful. It was as if they could see that somethin' was not right, but they couldn't prove it. They never forced me to confess, they never even did so much as touch me. All they kept sayin' was that if there was anythin' I wanted to talk about, I could look em up. I was expectin' ya guys to treat me differently, now that it's obvious I'm a heavy user... But... Ya didn't."

Ajabu grinned. "It's like Muhimu said; hearing that you tried to break free from the clutches of those two lions is music to our ears. Now, I won't lie to you, once the team confronts your Bosses, there probably will be a fight, and the Rangers will go for the kill. Those two have messed up countless lives, and they need to be stopped."

"And then what?" Mwezi grunted, "Them herbs will just grow in the wild again and everyone will have access to them. Us addicts won't go away or disappear just cause the Bosses kicked the bucket."

"Perhaps not, but at least the slavery that comes with their imposed herb-trade will cease. Animals will be free to do as they please. It's up to them to decide if they want to throw their lives away. But at least they won't be ruining someone else's lives either. There will be no more stealing, selling, prostituting or killing, just to get your next fix."

"What about the Fang Gang? Won't they just take over from Shuk and Kiume?" Jiwe asked.

The cheetah hesitated for a moment, not sure he could disclose any information concerning the rival gang, but eventually he replied, "Let's just say that they're not as big and organized as the Paka dealers. They're sloppy and make many mistakes. Their dealers are extremely inexperienced, so I seriously believe that they won't be in business for much longer."

They remained silent, until Mwezi noticed smoke rising in the horizon. "Look at that, seems like something's on fire back at home... Ya think they're torchin' the place down? They be killin' all those other addicts at the party-"

"No," Ajabu interrupted, "That's just probably the herbs they found. We know a couple of monkeys who can make fire; that's how we destroy the confiscated herbs.

"What a waste," Jiwe said sadly before she could stop herself.

Not long after, the rest of the Rangers returned, looking content and satisfied. The information Jiwe provided had certainly paid off.

Muhimu approached the two addicts. "Well, that's done and over with. A few Rangers have stayed behind, to help the addicts that are still unconscious. There are others tending to the ones who are already awake but still not quite in control. We found the secret hideout you mentioned, as well as the plantations, which have been trampled and burnt down. It's over. The Paka Pride and their herb-dealing business is no more."

Jiwe stared down at the ground, sighing deeply and looking sad. She knew that her mother had been the one to come up with the idea of sticking with the Bosses and forming a little Pride. It had been Rahisi who named it, too. And now, it was all over. Suddenly, Jiwe looked up and asked, "What happened to Shuk and Kiume? Did ya kill 'em in their sleep?"

Muhimu cleared his throat. "Well, about that..." he said, "Just what exactly did you use to herb everyone up?"

"Chew-Leaves extract," Jiwe admitted, "I used a lot of it on the bodyguards, since they're bigger, but I wanted to make sure the Bosses would fall asleep and not wake up any time soon, so most of the extract went into Shuk and Kiume's drinks."

Muhimu nodded. "Would you say that you used the same amount for them as you did for a rhino or an elephant?"

Jiwe shrugged. "Yeah, about the same, more or less. Why?"

"Well, the thing is," Muhimu said, trying to choose his words as carefully as he could, "When we got there, the two lions had actually passed away. We didn't have to do anything. We assume that what you gave them caused them to overdose."

"What?" Jiwe asked, pinning her ears down, looking shocked.

"You gave them the same amount you gave an elephant, and the elephant couldn't stand up at all anymore. What would you think would happen to a lion not even half his size? The Chew Leaves make the muscles relax. With the amount of extract they ingested, I think that the heart of your two Bosses simply stopped beating shortly after taking the drink."

"I just wanted to make sure they wouldn't wake up soon, I swear! Mwezi can tell ya, I'm no killer, yo! I've never killed nothing! Not even to eat!" Jiwe said, raising her voice as she began to panic.

"She's right! All she wanted was to buy us more time to run away!" Mwezi added, jumping quickly to Jiwe's defence.

"Shh, calm down, you two, please," Muhimu tried to say, while Jiwe and Mwezi did their best to explain themselves, talking at the same time, rendering each other incomprehensible.

When finally the two addicts stopped rambling, Muhimu told them, "I understand, it was an accident."

"Yes," Jiwe said quickly, "I wasn't familiar with that plant, yo, I tell ya, I didn't know what I was doing, but I felt it was my only choice!"

Muhimu nodded, understanding her position. Jiwe seemed genuinely distressed, and so far, everything she had said had turned out to be truth. He had found the remains of the Chew-Leaf extract back at the den, and was glad when Jiwe confessed the truth rather than trying to weasel out of this with a lie. He had no reason to believe that she had killed them on purpose.

"What do you say you two come with us? We'll head to the territory of the nearest Rehab Pride, where you can get food, water and a safe place to rest. We can talk more along the way," he suggested.

Jiwe sighed and turned to Mwezi. "Whaddayasay, babe? There's nothin' to go back to... We might as well go with these guys."

"I don't wanna end up locked in a cave, Jiwe! Dammit..." Mwezi said, still not trusting the Rangers completely.

Ajabu walked up to Mwezi and said, "You won't, I promise. This is what will happen: we'll go there, we'll eat and rest. You can hear what the Rehab Pride has to offer you, and it will be up to you if you want to stay with them for a while, or not. If you decide to accept their help and try to get clean, that's fantastic. If you're not ready, they won't hold you back by force. You need to want to be helped, for this to work."

Mwezi sighed, and looked at Jiwe. "Fine, let's go then."

The two addicts followed the cheetahs, while Mwezi muttered through gritted teeth, "Told you this was a bad idea."

Jiwe gave her a little grin and said, "Dunno. I got a good feelin' about this... Knowing that the Bosses won't hunt us down feels good too. Who would've thought I'd end up killin' em after all..."

As they walked Muhimu paired up to Jiwe and began asking her questions about the Paka Pride. Jiwe told him everything she knew about herbs, how dealers operated, their routes, their tactics, secret hideouts and meeting points. But there was one thing that she kept to herself: the use of Dealer's Hide, and the fact that she was carrying a huge amount of pouches of it inside her. This was probably the only thing giving Jiwe enough confidence for the time being. She had it all figured out: she and Mwezi would listen to the Rehab Pride's ranting. They would both tell them they're not ready for all their shenanigans. They would simply walk away, find a safe place to throw up the pouches, and get completely high and wasted, in memory of Kiume and Shukrani.

In the meantime, Ajabu walked up to Mwezi and began trying to break her shell. The female cheetah was very curt with her responses at first, but the more they talked, the more she opened up. Ajabu was very intrigued about her and kept asking questions that had nothing to do with her herb-habit. Instead, he enquired about where she grew up, favorite type of meat, whether she had a family or a mate, and Mwezi had to admit that she enjoyed the attention. Most animals she met didn't see past her herb-addiction. That was all she was to them, an addict. Ajabu seemed to be trying to see past that, and it pleased Mwezi, as much as she hated to admit it.

There were a few times when Jiwe and Mwezi both felt a bit sick to their stomachs, while the pouches threatened to burst out of their mouths. But luckily for them, the Rangers gave them privacy every now and then so they could relieve themselves. Every time Jiwe or Mwezi felt sick, they would excuse themselves, pretending they needed to go, but they would only take deep calming breaths until the nausea disappeared.

It was a bit of a long trip, but Jiwe had to admit that the Rangers' friendly demeanour had made it quite bearable. They were all in for a little chat, and some of them even cracked up at some of Jiwe's risque jokes or comments. Even if the lioness had little to no class at all, they all found her easy to talk to, and they could see how she had a way to lure animals, despite her appearance.

From her confessions to Muhimu, the Rangers were now aware that she had been a major dealer at some point, and not only that, she was the famous _'J'_, hosting all those herb-parties. Jiwe had expected them to be angry at her when this little fact came to the light, but the Rangers all kept their emotions in check. They knew that part of a successful rehabilitation was not to focus on what the addicts had done earlier, but instead try to concentrate on what they would achieve in the future, once they were clean.

This attitude surprised Jiwe and Mwezi, and by the end of the trip, they were completely sure that all the things they had learned about Rangers in the past had been nothing but lies. These animals genuinely seemed to be trying to help.

They finally reached a beautiful area, full of green grasslands, herds, and a big waterhole. A few big rocks protruded here and there, and there were plenty of trees to provide shelter from the sun.

"Lovely place!" Mwezi exclaimed, taking in the new landscape, and the scents that came with it.

In the distance, Jiwe noticed a lioness approaching. She was a much older female, with a pale pelt, well-built and strong looking.

"That's Zambarau," Muhimu told them, "She's in charge around here."

Jiwe and Mwezi looked at her while they both thought, _Yeah, well, she ain't the boss of us!_

The lioness finally reached them and greeted Muhimu with a friendly head-butt. "Nice to see you again, I was starting to get worried!"

"You heard the news, didn't you?" the male cheetah asked.

Zambarau nodded. "Yes, your bird reached me so I'm aware of the situation. I can't believe that the Paka Pride is done and over with. One more to go..."

She then turned towards Jiwe and Mwezi and smiled. "Welcome to Matumaini Territory. My name's Zambarau, but everyone calls me Zam. What are your names?"

Jiwe had taken a closer look at Zambarau, and found her to be quite attractive, despite the obvious age gap between them. The skinny lioness didn't waste any time and began complimenting her in her usual blunt fashion. "The name's Jiwe, babe. And if I may say so, man, ya be breathtakin'! Where ya been all me life?"

Zambarau gave her a crooked grin and then turned to the cheetah, whose simple reply was, "Mwezi."

"Well, glad to have you both here. You must be very tired, after such a long journey," Zambarau said, and motioned for the addicts to follow her.

The Rangers also joined in, and they all were invited to gather around a freshly killed zebra.

"Our hunters worked hard to have dinner ready for you. So, help yourselves, and enjoy your meal," Zambarau said.

The rangers approached the kill and began eating straight away, laughing, chatting and with high spirits. But Jiwe and Mwezi, still full of pouches, stayed behind. They were afraid to risk throwing up the herbs on the spot.

Zambarau didn't fail to notice this, and she also took note of the two addicts burping constantly, and how they would drool sometimes, for no apparent reason. She said nothing for the time being, and concentrated on Muhimu, who was filling her in on all the details of the raid.

Jiwe and Mwezi in the meantime were looking around, noticing a few animals further away. The Matumaini Pride reminded her of the Paka Pride in the sense that there weren't only lions around. There were also wild dogs, hyenas, a few cheetahs, and to Jiwe's surprise, a giraffe or two.

Jiwe jumped when Zambarau addressed her and Mwezi all of a sudden. "You girls don't feel like eating?"

They both shook their heads, without giving her any further explanation.

"Well, in that case, would you like to get some sleep?"

"Sleep sounds good, will ya join me too?" Jiwe said, winking at her.

Zambarau grinned slightly, rolling her eyes. She motioned with her head for them to follow, and told Jiwe, "As tempting as the offer may be, I don't think my mate would be too happy, so I think I'll have to pass. Sorry to have to disappoint you!"

Jiwe grinned, appreciating her sense of humour. "Of course, someone as pretty as ya wouldn't be wandering this world on her own, I shoulda known."

Zambarau's smile faded slightly at that point, and she remained quiet so as not to egg Jiwe on. She led the two addicts to a small rock formation, with a cave at the bottom, big enough to fit two or three lions. "You can sleep here, nobody will come bothering you."

Mwezi instantly froze on her tracks and shook her head. "I ain't going in no stinkin' cave!"

Zambarau was familiar with addicts who refused to enter caves, thanks to the rumours spread by the dealing gangs. "That's fine, you don't have to go inside if you don't want to. You can just make yourself comfortable right here if you prefer."

Mwezi gave her a suspicious look, and sat down meters away from the cave. "I'll sleep here then."

"Fine with me, dear. Rest well for now and we'll talk again later when you wake up. Feel free to pop by the common area by the waterhole, if you want food or water."

Mwezi and Jiwe watched her leave and once they were alone, Jiwe burped loudly again. "I won't be able to hold these in much longer. My belly's hurtin' good and proper..."

"Same here, yo... Maybe we should just get 'em out, get some sleep, and swallow them again later."

"Good idea," Jiwe replied, and began digging a hole close to the entrance of the cave.

"Don't get too near! It might be booby-trapped!" Mwezi hissed.

"Ya can be real silly sometimes, ya know that?" Jiwe said, chuckling slightly.

Mwezi approached her and gave her a gentle slap on the back of her head. "Don't talk like that to your adoptive momma."

Jiwe smiled and gave Mwezi a quick headbutt. "Okay, ya go first. I'll keep guard."

Mwezi began throwing up the pouches into the hole, and then Jiwe followed. They quickly covered them with dirt, and both addicts lay down on top of them, to conceal the freshly disturbed soil from any passer-by. Despite all the excitement concerning the events of the day, Jiwe and Mwezi fell asleep very quickly. They slept soundly, even through the roaring of their hungry stomachs.

* * *

Jiwe wasn't sure just how long she had slept. She felt well rested after waking up, but the withdrawal symptoms had started to show up again. She hoped that she could get to ditch the Matumaini Pride's assistance soon enough, and just be on the move on as soon as possible.

She nuzzled Mwezi gently, trying to rouse her. "Yo, wake up, c'mon..."

The cheetah looked up, confused for a moment at the unfamiliar surroundings. She finally realized where they were, and sighed deeply. "What is it?"

"I'm really cravin' a fix. I say we swallow the pouches again, go tell Zam that thanks but no thanks, and just scram."

Mwezi sat up straight and shook herself. "Yeah, now that ya mention it, I could use a good hit of Bark Powder..."

They dug up the pouches, tried to clean the sand and dirt off as best as they could, and swallowed them again. The task was a lot harder than before, since now they were very grimy and they kept getting stuck. It actually hurt as they went down.

"Oh, man, what a bad idea, let's never do this again," Jiwe said, coughing and gagging every so often, "Next time we look for a river or so to wash 'em up first."

Mwezi nodded in agreement, hacking and spitting dirt.

Once they were more or less comfortable, they cleaned each other up to remove any traces of dirt from their paws and faces, and returned to the common area, which looked a lot more crowded than the day before.

Jiwe recognized a few of the Rangers talking to Zambarau, but she couldn't help noticing the curious glances from the rest of the animals. Everyone seemed to be shocked at the state Jiwe was in, and the lioness knew just how to make them stop staring. She began blowing kisses at them and licking her cheeks in a provocative fashion. That was enough for everyone to look away and pretend they hadn't seen her.

Jiwe chuckled to herself, and urged Mwezi to hurry. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

The lioness headed towards Zambarau with a determined expression on her face, rehearsing the lines in her mind over and over again.

But before she could get close enough, another lioness came running and reached Zambarau first. "Zam! We found a wounded wild dog, obvious herb-abuser too. Probably got into a gang fight. Where do you want her?"

Jiwe's brain couldn't register what was said next. She simply stared at the lioness with wide eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing. That beautiful, creamy lioness was no one other but Hanaa.

Before Jiwe could come back to her senses, Hanaa had already ran away to join the others that were carrying the wounded dog. Hanaa disappeared behind the tall grasses, as quickly as she came.

"Mwezi... Did I just hallucinate or-"

"Nope. I saw her too..." Mwezi said, her jaw hanging open.

Zambarau took notice of the two addicts at that point and approached them. "Good morning, slept well?"

Jiwe nodded, but she found that the speech she had rehearsed would have to wait. She needed to speak to Hanaa first.

"Say, Zam... Who was that lioness?"

"She calls herself H. Some ex-addicts prefer to keep their real name hidden, embarrassed of what they have done," Zambarau explained. "She's been with us for a while, and has been a great asset to our group. Heh, caught your eye already, huh? Well, don't get too excited. From what I've heard, she's taken already."

Jiwe and Mwezi looked at each other, confused. Jiwe thought that she would never experience pain similar as to the heartache she felt when Hanaa disappeared. But to be so close to her all of a sudden, and hearing that she was seeing someone else, was more than Jiwe could handle. The lioness couldn't say more, and began running back to the cave that they had been offered the night before.

Mwezi raised her eyebrows, and excused herself. "Er... I'll go check on her, we'll be back later!"

Zambarau watched them go, almost as confused as the two addicts. "Wow, she falls in love rather quickly, doesn't she..." she said to herself, and then headed off to check on the wounded dog.

Jiwe in the meantime, was crying loudly, cursing at nothing in particular. Mwezi tried to comfort her and licked her tears away.

When Jiwe finally calmed down enough to be able to speak, she said, "I'm sorry babe... I can't leave this place, not till I've spoken to her."

Mwezi nodded. "I understand, don't worry, sweetie. We'll just hide the pouches again, and swallow them up when you persuade her to run away with us."

Jiwe chuckled through her sobs. "Yeah, let's be optimistic, innit!"

The two addicts found a better hiding spot next to a small creek nearby. They could rinse the pouches there whenever they decided to swallow them again.

Throwing the pouches back up was not an easy feat this time, they hurt coming out as much as they did coming in. Mwezi especially was having a lot of trouble. All of a sudden, she felt intense pain, and in the end, along with the pouches, she began vomiting blood.

"Babe, ya okay?" Jiwe asked, looking alarmed.

"Yah, yah, I'm fine, I just think I swallowed too much dirt," Mwezi said, breathing heavily. "Anyway, mind if I stay here, while you go talk to Hanaa? In the meantime I can take care of hidin' the pouches underground. I'll place them right under that small rock over there."

"Yeah, that's a good spot. All right... I'll be back soon."

Mwezi waited until Jiwe was out of sight, and she began groaning loudly from the pain. She counted the pouches she had thrown up, and one was missing. She could feel it stuck somewhere in the middle of her chest, and no matter how much she tried to retch, the pouch wouldn't move. Mwezi concentrated on hiding the rest of the pouches, and tried once again to dislodge the last one, but at some point the pain became so intense that Mwezi fainted and dropped to the ground unconscious.

* * *

Jiwe began looking for Hanaa all over the place, and finally someone directed her towards a distant cave, where a group of onlookers had gathered. Jiwe made her way through to the front row, and spotted Hanaa inside, holding the head of the wild dog steady, while Zambarau and a mandrill tended to its wounds.

The skinny lioness tried to wait until Hanaa was done helping out, but her patience quickly ran out. "Yo, H, fancy seein' ya here," Jiwe called, attracting Hanaa's attention.

Hanaa's eyes grew wide and she brought a paw to her mouth as she gasped in surprise.

"Keep him steady, H! And J, can't you see we're busy working here? Get back to the common area and I'll meet you there later!"

Hanaa quickly steadied the wild dog's head again, but kept glancing at Jiwe, her expression hard to read.

Jiwe didn't return to the common area, but sat down to wait until Hanaa was free from her task. She looked intently at Hanaa, as if trying to read her thoughts. It appeared as if Hanaa was throwing angry stares at her. _The nerve... I should be the angry one, not her!_ Jiwe thought.

It seemed like an eternity for the two lionesses, but the mandrill finally patched up the wild dog and said, "Well done, you two. She'll be fine, she just needs some good rest now."

Zambarau was about to thank Hanaa, but she was quicker and excused herself rather hastily.

"Sorry, Zam, I have to go. See you later, okay?"

Zambarau frowned when she saw her running back to the common area, followed closely by Jiwe. It was obvious that they knew each other, and Zambarau couldn't help feeling worried, especially since she suspected that Jiwe could be concealing herbs. Zambarau hoped that Hanaa would be strong if faced with temptation.

Meanwhile, Jiwe kept trying to get Hanaa's attention. "What, ya don't have the balls to face me?" she said, trying to keep up with Hanaa, who was doing her best to ignore Jiwe.

"Talk to me, dammit! It's the least I deserve for the way you treated me!" Jiwe snapped, as tears of sadness and anger flowed once again.

Hanaa eventually slowed down once there was nobody to overhear their conversation, and turned around to face Jiwe. "Oh! How about the way _you_ treated me? I sent you a thousand messages, and you never bothered to reply! I even thought you had gotten yourself killed by an overdose at some point!"

Jiwe walked up to her until they were nose to nose. "What the hell are you talkin' about? What messages? Why did you disappear? Were you part of the Fang Gang? You and that scumbag of a lion who took advantage of me? Tell me the truth, Hanaa, I need to know!"

Hanaa's angry demeanour faded slowly, as she looked into Jiwe's eyes. Something didn't add up. "Ya mean, ya never got any of my messages? Not a single bird?"

Jiwe shook her head, still waiting impatiently for an explanation.

Hanaa sighed deeply. "I couldn't come see you anymore because my Pride found out about my herb addiction. They brought me here instead and Mother practically forced me to enrol in their rehab program. I had no idea how to reach you, but then that vulture friend of yours showed up. I told him everything. I asked him to relay the message to you so that you wouldn't worry about me... I guess he didn't tell you?"

Jiwe growled as she shook her head, remembering how Kuwasi had denied seeing any trace of her. Even the bird had lied to her.

"I was expecting you to send the vulture back with a message for me," Hanaa went on, "but when he didn't show up after several days, I just asked another bird. And another. After what felt like the hundredth bird without any reply from you, I finally assumed you were done with me. I thought you wanted to sever ties with me so that you wouldn't get caught or something."

Jiwe shook her head, looking surprised and angry, realizing just how far the Bosses had gone to make her life miserable. "No, babe, of course not. If I had known ya were here, I would have left the Paka Pride right away and come to ya. I suppose the Bosses knew this, and since they controlled the message traffic, and all birds had to go through them first, it was easy to keep this information hidden from me. Those friggin' bastards! They knew exactly what had happened to you..." Jiwe carried on cursing out loud, while Hanaa waited patiently for her to calm down.

Jiwe finally got tired of cursing, and turned to Hanaa, her expression softening almost immediately. "So, ya been here, all this time? Does this mean you're actually clean 'n stuff?"

Hanaa nodded. "Yes... I've been helping around here in the meantime. Sometimes I get to help with the wounded animals, like today. Sometimes I help at the nursery, and sometimes I just try and be supportive to those still in the process of getting clean."

Jiwe looked away, wiping the tears away from her face with a paw. "I missed ya like hell, babe, ya have no idea. I searched for ya... I even thought ya were held hostage somewhere..."

"I was, in a way," Hanaa said, chuckling slightly. "It doesn't feel that way anymore, but it did back then. I missed you too, all I wanted was to be with you and get high."

"But ya got someone else now, huh?"

"What? No," Hanaa replied, "I told everyone I had a mate, but I was actually referring to you."

Jiwe felt her heart beating faster when she asked, "And ya still think of me that way? Cause I can tell ya, nobody else has stolen my heart the way ya did, babe. I needed ya so badly... I still do."

Hanaa pulled Jiwe close and kissed her, showering her face with licks. Jiwe surrendered to her, embracing Hanaa with one paw and returning the licks passionately.

They gazed into each other's eyes after that loving kiss, and Hanaa finally said, "I needed you too. Very much. I didn't think I could live without you and the herbs."

Jiwe gave her a cheeky, devious grin and said, "What if I told ya I got herbs with me? Mwezi and I were planning to leave this dump as soon as possible. I was hopin' ya would come with me."

Hanaa's smile faded and she stared back at Jiwe in disbelief. "What? For real?"

Jiwe nodded. "I got the whole lot. Bark Powder, Blackroot, and our favorite, Upendi Petals..."

Hanaa closed her eyes. She had had little to no temptation ever since she was sent here. To see her dear Jiwe standing there, offering her sweet precious herbs, it was certainly making her feel she was standing on very shaky ground.

The creamy lioness opened her eyes once more, and focused on Jiwe's beaten-up look. The skinny lioness had lost more weight than before, if that was even possible. Her bald patches were sore and raw, and she looked like she was about to drop dead any minute now.

Hanaa knew better now, and she was aware that she had two choices. Either follow Jiwe and end up like her, hiding, running from the rangers, getting caught in gang fights... Or, have Jiwe follow her instead, and have a happy life together as a healthy, herb-free couple.

After making up her mind, Hanaa said, "That's a very tempting offer, J, but... I'm a different lioness now. I did my share of experimenting before, I know how it feels now, and I'm done with it. I also know how hard it is to come off it, and I don't want to have to go through that again."

Jiwe frowned slightly. "So, what ya sayin', Hanaabee? Ya stayin' with these weirdos instead of comin' with me? Is that it?"

Hanaa took Jiwe's chin with her paw gently. "What I'm saying is, I want you to stay with me and the weirdos here. Get clean together with me, And we can finally live together peacefully, instead of being sick and on the run."

Jiwe took a step backwards, feeling disappointed. "Fine, I get it. S'just Mwezi 'n me then."

Hanaa sighed. "J, baby, please listen to me... I used to think the same way as you. I was so upset with Mother for bringing me here, but once you're free from the clutches of those herbs, it's like you're reborn. I went through the whole process, and I can tell you first hand it's true. I'm not making things up."

Jiwe shrugged, appearing uninterested. "Never mind, I know enough, yo. You and I are livin' in different worlds now. You're better than me, and we can't be together. So I'm goin' back to Mwezi now, She probably needs me more than ya do."

"That's not what I meant! Stop putting words in my mouth, J, and don't walk away, please... There's so much we need to talk about..."

Jiwe continued walking towards the creek where she left Mwezi earlier, while Hanaa desperately tried to reason with her.

"If you could just listen to me and give it a try, baby, I'm begging you!"

Jiwe grunted slightly, while her addicted mind made her feel insulted and rejected by her offers of help. "I said, we done talkin', babe."

"Listen to you... Are the herbs really stronger than the love you feel for me? Then probably you never even loved me in the first place."

That sentence finally got a reaction from Jiwe, who turned around and faced Hanaa, looking very angry. "Don't ya dare say I didn't love ya. I spent days and nights cryin' over ya! You're the one who's traded me for this stupid place!"

"I'm not trading you, I'm inviting you to be a part of it! Deep inside you know that you can't carry on the way you've been living, baby. The Bosses are dead! You're a free lioness to do as you please now! And what are you going to do with that freedom, huh? Live just they way you had been living before? What's the point in that? Life's giving you two roads to choose from, J. You already know where one road leads. You've walked it a million times. The other road seems scary and unknown, but ya don't have to walk it alone, baby. I'll be there, with you, every single step of the way."

Jiwe looked at Hanaa thoughtfully for a moment. She hated to admit that she was making a lot of sense. However, her thoughts were distracted by the sound of a muffled cry. Jiwe turned towards where she thought she had heard the sound, and heard it again. It came from around the creek.

"Mwezi!" Jiwe exclaimed, and ran towards where she had left her.

Hanaa followed closely, and gasped when she saw Mwezi lying in a pool of blood coming from her mouth

"Mwezi, babe, what's happenin to ya?" Jiwe screamed, looking in shock at all the blood she had lost.

Mwezi coughed more blood, and without caring that Hanaa might hear, she blurted out weakly, "I think a pouch broke or it's stuck somehow. It feels like I'm bein' stabbed from the inside... I'm dyin', Jiwe..."

Jiwe couldn't stand the sight of her close friend agonizing like that. She turned to Hanaa and asked, "Ya think that mandrill from earlier can help her?"

Hanaa nodded. "You stay here with her, and I'll go get him. Only I'll be forced to tell him about the pouch. You understand that?"

Jiwe agreed, looking desperate. "Yes, I do! Go ahead, just do what it takes to save her, please..."

Hanaa left without another word, while Jiwe groomed Mwezi's tainted face and reassured her that everything would be all right.

It didn't take long for Hanaa to return with Zambarau and the mandrill.

"Make way, make way," he told Jiwe, and began pulling out a few items from a pouch, much like the one stuck in Mwezi's insides, only much bigger.

Zambarau in the meantime turned to Jiwe and said, "I will need you to be completely honest with me, J, the life of your friend depends on it."

Jiwe nodded, tears rolling down her face without control.

"The pouch stuck inside her, is it made from either one of these materials?" Zambarau asked, picking out a few hide samples from the mandrill's pouch and showing them to her.

Jiwe looked closely and immediately recognized one as Dealer's Hide. She pointed at it with her paw without hesitation.

Zambarau nodded and turned to the mandrill again. "Okay, looks like we need tonic number four."

Jiwe watched as the mandril poured a very oily looking substance onto a coconut half, and gave it to Mwezi to drink.

"This doesn't taste great, but try to swallow and keep it down for as long as you can, deal?"

Mwezi nodded, and she weakly swallowed the thick, oily tonic, making a grimace at its horrible taste, but she did her best and held the horrible liquid down.

They all waited in silence, while Jiwe paced nervously back and fro. Hanaa patted her on the shoulder reassuringly, and whispered, "They've done this before. They know what they're doing, don't worry."

Jiwe stopped pacing, and concentrated on Mwezi, who had begun to foam from the mouth. The froth, tainted pink because of the blood, eventually began turning a darker color.

"That's it," the mandrill said, "We're now going to give you something to make you throw up. It'll be really violent and it might hurt a lot, but you'll just have to try and let it all out."

Mwezi nodded, willing to do anything just to get rid of the pain. She drank another concoction that was so horrible in taste, that the cheetah couldn't hold back and began throwing up like she had never done before. Jiwe could now see that the oily liquid had managed to soften the pouch somehow, causing it to loosen up, and all the contents inside to be released. Jiwe glanced around nervously when the soggy pouch came out of Mwezi's mouth, followed by Blackroot, Oil-leaves, Upendi petals and even Catnip twigs.

The mandrill forced Mwezi to drink more of the horrible tasting liquid a few times, and then began feeding her plain water, until the froth disappeared, and what came out of Mwezi's mouth was as clear as the water from the creek.

Zambarau then washed the cheetah's face gently, whispering reassuring words to her, telling her it was all over and she would be all right.

The mandrill prepared another beverage for Mwezi, explaining to her that this one would help stop the internal bleeding.

Jiwe was in awe to see how they were actually using herbs to save lives, and with the withdrawal symptoms getting worse by the minute, Jiwe felt a pang of guilt to think how she had been doing the exact opposite. The thought quickly left her mind, but it would be more and more recurring if she didn't take an Oil-Leaf soon.

Mwezi finally relaxed and fell asleep, completely exhausted after the ordeal.

"She will need to drink plenty of water, and eating might cause her some discomfort for now, but she should be fine in a few days. Just let her have plenty of rest," The mandrill told them.

Jiwe thanked him sincerely, and he left to tend to his other duties.

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Zambarau whispered softly, "H, can you please leave us alone? J and I need to talk."

Hanaa nodded, and gave Jiwe a heartfelt nuzzle before leaving. "Love you, J, remember that," she whispered in her ear, and walked away, looking sad and worried.

Jiwe let out a deep breath and collapsed on the ground, feeling her world crumbling down right on top of her. The pressure and weight of everything that just happened made her burst into sobs again. She couldn't stand the thought of almost losing Mwezi. It had been Jiwe's idea to steal the pouches, after all, and she was feeling very guilty at this point. And now she was in for a lecture, she thought, expecting a reprimand from Zambarau. But instead, the old lioness had remained quiet, giving Jiwe time to grieve.

Jiwe didn't turn away when Zambarau approached her and held her close in a very tight and comforting hug.


	12. The Most Difficult Choice

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 12: The Most Difficult Choice**

Zambarau eventually released Jiwe from her embrace, once the addict had calmed down and stopped crying.

Jiwe remained quiet, and walked towards Mwezi to check if she was still okay. The cheetah was peacefully asleep, twitching ever so slightly as she dreamt.

Zambarau sided up to Jiwe and said, "Don't worry about her. We got to her on time. You'll see that after a few days of rest, she will be back to normal."

Jiwe turned to the lioness and said, "I don't get it... We've been doing this all the time, and nothing ever went wrong. What happened today?"

Zambarau sat on her haunches and invited Jiwe to join her. "My assumption is that you were carrying the pouches inside you since you left the Paka territory, then threw them up last night, and swallowed them again this morning. Am I correct?"

Jiwe looked away and nodded, feeling embarrassed. But she knew she couldn't lie her way out of this.

Zambarau went on, "The thing is, the hide might be tough to digest, but that doesn't mean that it's completely indestructible. You allowed it to dry up and harden over-night, altering its structure. The hide becomes hard and less supple than before, making it a lot more difficult to swallow, and easier to rupture."

Zambarau then stood up and retrieved one of the catnip twigs that Mwezi had thrown up earlier. She returned to Jiwe's side and showed her the sharp edge of the twig. "Most likely, this tip here punctured the pouch and caused it to get stuck inside, digging into her throat or stomach, hence the bleeding. The tonic we gave your friend made the pouch loose and slippery, releasing everything inside. We just had to make sure that no herbs were left behind. Some of those herbs could kill you if they reached your stomach without the protection of the hide."

Jiwe listened intently, understanding now why they had been having such a problem swallowing the pouches earlier that morning. She had always swallowed them when they were either new, or still moist and soft. Jiwe was surprised as well to see how much Zambarau knew about what was supposed to be the Paka Pride's biggest secret. "Wow, I never knew... We were never warned about lettin' them pouches dry. But, just how do ya know so much about Dealer's Hide anyway? Dealers weren't allowed to talk about it, under penalty of death and stuff."

Zambarau stared thoughtfully into the horizon when she answered. "Not long ago an addicted leopard joined our group, seeking recovery. He told us that due to gang rivalry, he and his younger brother had been forced to transport herbs to a distant territory, by means of swallowing little bags made out of thick hide. I suppose that since he wasn't a dealer, he wasn't afraid to tell us all about it. Ever since then, we've been looking into the matter, gathering all sorts of hide to make tests with and such. I'm glad that yours was within the samples we had tested already."

Jiwe was completely certain that she was talking about Hodari and his little brother, Ndoto. So Hodari was now a clean animal too. Next thing they'd be telling her the wild dog Paku had joined the Rehab Pride too. "What else did they say?" Jiwe asked, feeling curious about whether they might have mentioned her.

"Nothing much, actually. For some reason, the two of them were extremely protective of the dealer who had accompanied them during the operation. They didn't tell us the name, not even the species. The most I could get out of the older leopard was that it had been a female. I can't remember his exact words, but it was something on the lines of her having a tough life already as it was, and that she didn't need any more trouble. His little brother only said that she had been very nice and friendly to him, and that she shouldn't be punished. That's all."

Jiwe smiled and stared down at her paws, trying not to give herself away.

Zambarau glanced at her and caught a glimpse of her smile, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, she decided to focus on the main issue for now.

"Jiwe, I'm not going to beat around the bush," she said, calling the addict by her full name now that they were alone, "You will not be able to swallow those pouches one more time, without the risk of having a similar episode. I cannot guarantee that we will be able to help, if this happens again."

Jiwe nodded, the smile quickly fading from her face. Zambarau had a point, and there was no way she would dare to ask Mwezi to swallow more pouches -new or not- after what happened.

"I know, I get it," Jiwe said, and quickly added, "By the way, the whole bringin' pouches thing was my idea, so don't go punishin' Mwezi when she wakes up."

"I'm not going to punish anyone, Jiwe. If anything, I'm here to try and help you both. However, this being a Pride full of recovering addicts, I simply cannot have any sort of damaging herbs lying around here. All I'm asking from you right now is to hand over the remaining pouches. This is the only thing I will be extremely strict with you. If you want to stay here, you will have to hand in the herbs, including any pouches that may still be hidden inside you. If you don't want to cooperate, then you're more than welcome to leave right away," Zambarau said. She didn't look angry at all, but she was definitely concerned, probably expecting a lot of resistance from Jiwe.

The skinny lioness appeared to be hesitating before responding to Zambarau's ultimatum. She weighed the pros and cons of staying with the Matumaini Pride. Mwezi was in no state to travel, and Jiwe definitely didn't want to leave her behind. Then there was Hanaa, who had been pleading her to stay too. She had sounded sincere, although Jiwe still felt hurt and offended by the fact that Hanaa was a clean lioness. She knew her anger didn't make any sense, but that's how she felt; alone and betrayed.

Jiwe looked at Zambarau and said softly, "Can I at least keep the Oil-Leaves? I promise I won't share..."

Zambarau shook her head. "We can negotiate about many things, but not that, Jiwe. I want you to hand in all the herbs."

"But I need my fix!" Jiwe snapped.

Zambarau was not taken aback and stared at Jiwe nonplussed. "If you think the herbs are stronger than you, then you know the way out, dear."

Jiwe groaned and pulled at the fur of her head with her claws, unable to decide what to do. Zambarau's words had struck a nerve too, reminding her of what Hanaa had told her earlier: Jiwe loved the herbs more than she ever loved Hanaa. Jiwe knew that wasn't true. She would have followed Hanaa all the way here, if the Bosses hadn't intercepted all her messages. _Well, I'm here now, and apparently I ain't strong enough to hand in the herbs. Maybe Hanaabee is right. Maybe I love the herbs more,_ she thought, closing her eyes tight.

Jiwe then thought of how Zambarau and Hanaa had rushed to help Mwezi, disregarding the fact that the two addicts had brought herbs into the Rehab Pride. Without their assistance, Mwezi would have died, and it would have been a matter of time before Jiwe also got hurt by a hardened pouch, since her plan was to keep on swallowing them as they travelled. Mwezi owed them her life, and Jiwe indirectly too. The least she could do in exchange was to cooperate with Zambarau's demands, and give this whole getting clean thing a try, for Hanaa. It was not an easy choice, and Jiwe was still not quite certain that she could go through with this.

Zambarau waited silently, watching Jiwe struggle with the decision, but she sat there patiently, allowing her to make up her mind. She watched with curiosity as Jiwe finally stood up and headed towards the small rock near the creek. She pushed the rock aside and dug around, picking out all the pouches that Mwezi had hidden there earlier.

Zambarau approached and watched as pouch after pouch piled up next to them. She had no idea the two addicts had been concealing this huge amount of herbs. No wonder they looked so queasy and avoided eating when they first arrived.

Jiwe counted the pouches and confirmed that they were all present, except for the one that had gotten stuck inside Mwezi. She then let out a deep sigh and pushed them towards Zambarau with a paw.

"That's all we got. Ya can make me throw up too if ya want, but I ain't got no more pouches in me."

Zambarau didn't take any chances, and offered Jiwe a sip from the remaining liquid that had made Mwezi throw up earlier. Jiwe proved indeed that her stomach was completely empty, but given her emaciated state, Zambarau couldn't feel completely content about the result. Jiwe needed food right away.

While Jiwe cleaned herself and took a drink of water to recover from the nasty liquid, Zambarau summoned the two fire-making monkeys, who promptly burned the pouches and all its contents, including those that Mwezi had expelled earlier. Jiwe watched with desperation, realizing that there was no turning back now. And just as the herbs turned to ashes, her confidence disappeared with them.

* * *

Jiwe and Zambarau returned to the common area, where Hanaa had been waiting for them. Zambarau went straight to where the Rangers were gathered and told them what just happened. Now that the use of Dealer's Hide had been confirmed, the Rangers would try and induce vomiting on the suspects, just in case.

Ajabu requested permission to go see Mwezi, after hearing that she had had a close call. He went to sit by her side, keeping guard over her silently, trying not to disturb her slumber.

Jiwe and Hanaa went to take a walk together, and she filled her in on what had happened, while Hanaa tried to be reassuring.

"You're doing the right thing, J, I know it doesn't feel like that now, but trust me..."

"I trust ya. I'm doing this for ya, after all," Jiwe said, sighing deeply.

Hanaa shook her head. "No, no. Don't do it for me. Do it for _you._"

"What?" Jiwe said, tilting her head slightly.

"If tomorrow I'm struck by lightning, then what? Are you going to quit and fall back into your old ways? No, J, you have to do this for yourself only, because _you_ want to get better. Don't you want to wake up one morning and not have the herb cravings dictate what you do?"

Jiwe shrugged. "I dunno what I want anymore. All I know is I feel like crap right now and I'm gonna punch someone on the face if I don't get an Oil-Leaf soon. I don't think I can make it, babe. I'll probably just sneak out tonight and hunt for herbs out there or somethin'," she said, sounding slightly mortified and defeated.

Hanaa nodded. "Yes, I totally know what you mean. Kicking the habit isn't easy, J, especially when it comes to Oil-Leaf addiction, from what I've heard. But, you know, if you're afraid that you may falter, you can request for a recovering cave to be assigned to you."

"Oh, one of those _torture dungeons_ Mwezi used to talk about? Thanks but no thanks," Jiwe grunted, dismissing the idea right away.

"Well, nobody said this would be easy, but trust me, the recovering cave is probably the only way to ensure that a serious addict like yourself won't just throw the towel and quit. I don't know what you've heard about them, but they are definitely _not_ dungeons. Come, I'll show you what they look like!"

Jiwe followed Hanaa, her legs and face twitching every now and then as the withdrawal symptoms began manifesting themselves more obviously. They finally reached the entrance to a small underground cave. Jiwe hesitated to go in at first, but seeing Hanaa walk in with all ease, Jiwe finally followed.

The cave was spacious, and its walls had been covered with what appeared to be dry leaves. There were a couple of holes on the top, that allowed for a bit of sunlight to seep in. Part of the floor had been covered with long, dried-up grass to lie on, and there was a sandy area all the way at the back. The cave was neat and tidy, but there was something that caught Jiwe's eye. By the entrance, on the walls, there were a lot of scratch marks.

"Were these done by animals tryin' to get out?" she asked.

Hanaa nodded. "Yeah. The entrance gets sealed with a rock. But don't worry, you get food and fresh water every day through the holes on the roof, and you see this sandy area? You can relieve yourself there. When you're done, you can cover up the waste with sand, and it won't smell. Clever, huh?"

Jiwe let out a shaky, nervous sigh, not liking this cave at all. Mwezi was right after all. Perhaps the caves weren't as scary as they used to believe, but it all still came down to what they feared: getting locked up for an indefinite amount of time.

Hanaa turned to Jiwe and caressed her bony cheek with a paw. "Will you give it a try? What's the worst that can happen? In the end you will still be let out, and you'll still have the chance to walk away from here, if you want."

Jiwe closed her eyes, enjoying Hanaa's sweet caressing. "I dunno, babe... This cave really creeps the hell outta me."

"Hmm," Hanaa said, tapping her own chin with a claw in a thoughtful fashion. She then took one step closer to Jiwe and looked at her seductively. "I have an idea. Maybe together we can make it less scary, somehow."

"Whuh?" Jiwe mumbled, unsure of what Hanaa was trying to do.

"We could create some nice memories down here, so that you can think back to them whenever you're feeling desperate or lonely."

"Nice memories, huh? Um, just how nice, exactly?" Jiwe said, raising one eyebrow curiously, while giving Hanaa a mischievous grin.

"_Very_ nice," Hanaa whispered, and after that, the two lionesses didn't say more.

Hanaa pulled Jiwe closer and began licking her face, gentle at first, and then more passionate. Hanaa wasn't in season, but her passion was driven by how happy and excited she was to have her sweet, wild, J back.

Jiwe in the meantime realized they didn't really need any Upendi petals this time, to show each other just how much they had missed being close together. The thin lioness closed her eyes and returned Hanaa's affections, licking her face and biting longingly into her shoulders. Tears of happiness ran down her face, and all of a sudden, Jiwe didn't mind the darkness in the cave anymore, nor the damp, stale air inside it. She didn't mind either being reprimanded, after Zambarau happened to walk by and caught the two of them messing around inside. The two young lionesses ran out, squealing like playful cubs who had just been discovered during a _Hide and Seek_ game, leaving Zambarau behind, looking slightly perplexed.

Once the rush of getting caught while making out wore off, Jiwe's mind drifted back to the issue at hand. The withdrawal symptoms were getting worse, so she would need to make a decision soon.

Jiwe was still very hesitant about the whole ordeal she would have to go through inside the Recovering Cave. But one thing was for sure, she still loved Hanaa, and Hanaa loved her. And Jiwe was determined to do anything to be with her. If that involved getting clean, then she certainly would give it a try.

When the sun started setting, Jiwe and Hanaa approached Zambarau. Jiwe had finally made up her mind, but the lioness was still extremely nervous and scared.

"You two again?" Zambarau said, trying to sound angry, but failing.

"Zam, J has something to tell you," Hanaa said, giving Jiwe an encouraging nuzzle.

Zambarau looked at Jiwe, who was now trembling and twitching from head to tail. "Go ahead, dear."

Jiwe took a step forward and said nervously, "I'd like to request a Recoverin' Cave. Er... The same cave of earlier, heh, if possible..."

Zambarau looked at the two young lionesses and invited them to sit down. Once they all had made themselves comfortable, she said, "I don't have any problem with that. However, before we go ahead, I just want to make it very clear to you what the process entails."

Jiwe perked up her ears and listened raptly.

"Once you agree to make use of a Recovery Cave, you will not be coming out of it until your system has detoxed completely. There will be no amount of begging that will make us bring you out. Do you understand this?"

Jiwe looked at Hanaa nervously for a moment, but her warm and encouraging smile gave Jiwe the strength to go on with the plan. She focused on Zambarau and nodded. "I get it, yeah."

Zambarau went on. "It will be a tough time, I'm not denying that. However, there will be always someone monitoring you, in case you fall ill or such. There will be someone around to bring you water and food every day. It will be up to you to keep the cave as clean as possible, so please use the sand patch for your bodily waste."

Jiwe nodded, glad that Hanaa had taken the time to show her around the cave first. It all sounded slightly less intimidating now that she had seen it in person.

Zambarau took a deep breath, and said, "Well, J, I'm really glad you've decided to take this step. I know it all sounds very scary, but we'll be there for you. You won't be alone in all this. Now, I suggest that before we begin with the detox procedure, you go have a little bit of food together with H. Maybe you can also pay a visit to your cheetah friend, and let her know about your plans so she won't worry, wondering where you disappeared to."

Jiwe smiled. "Yeah, ya know, I think I'll do that first, and then eat later." She then turned to Hanaa and said, "Mind waiting here for me, babe? I'll be back soon."

"Sure, J, take your time. Give Mwezi my greetings!"

As Jiwe walked away, Zambarau placed a paw on Hanaa's shoulder and whispered, "I need a quick word with you."

Hanaa turned to her, blushing slightly. "Is this about the whole cave-thing earlier? Because I wanted to tell you but-"

"No, no... Well, yes, in a way. Listen, Hanaa..." Zambarau said, hesitating visibly, "J is not the only one who will have to go through a very rough period."

"What do you mean, Zam?" Hanaa asked, looking intrigued.

Zambarau blushed slightly too when she was forced to pry into Hanaa's personal life. "You and J... I mean, what I saw earlier... Were you just playing around, or do you actually have feelings for each other?"

Hanaa chuckled, but she didn't mind confiding in her. "Remember when I told you I had a mate? I was actually talking about J."

Zambarau listened while Hanaa opened up to her, telling her how Jiwe had come into her life when Hanaa was feeling quite lost. Granted, the new way of life that Jiwe had taught her had certainly not been the best path to follow, but herbs aside, being together with Jiwe had made Hanaa feel very much alive. She had been missing that feeling for a while back at her Pride, where the routine had been getting to her. Hanaa wanted excitement, she wanted to be a bit of a bad girl for a change, and Jiwe catered to those wishes in more ways than one.

"My mother said she wouldn't have minded who I chose for a mate, as long as I was happy. But the whole herb business just drove her over the edge. That's why I was sent here and forced to stop seeing J. Heh, I wonder what she would say if she knew J's here with me right now."

"I suppose she would be glad to hear that J's trying to turn her life around. And how about you? Do you still love her, despite everything?"

Hanaa looked at Zambarau, and replied softly, "I do, very much. I'm just kind of afraid that if she can't go clean, she'll drag me down again..."

Zambarau nodded understandingly. "This is exactly what I meant when I said that J would not be the only one having a hard time. You see, you still haven't witnessed what it's like for someone to come off the Oil-Leaf. It's a terrible experience, not only for the addict, but for their loved ones too."

Hanaa swallowed with difficulty, but enticed Zambarau to go on. "What exactly is going to happen to J?"

Zambarau looked Hanaa in the eyes and whispered, so as not to be overheard in case Jiwe returned, "There's a reason why the addicts refer to the caves as 'torture dungeons', and that's because the user inside will be in a lot of discomfort and pain, for several days on end."

Hanaa nodded, biting her lip nervously as she listened intently.

"When the Oil-Leaf stops being administered, the users become very jumpy and twitchy at first. You've probably seen it with J already. Those twitches will eventually get out of control, and her muscles will start cramping up, causing her a lot of pain. There will be a lot of crying and screaming coming out of her cave. She will be pleading, threatening, negotiating, all to get passers-by to throw her an Oil-Leaf. She might go as far as to threaten to break up with you, or even kill herself, hoping to get you to break and give in. You will have to be very, very strong, and keep in mind that she doesn't mean a word she's saying. It's the discomfort driving her to say all those things, which could get very nasty at some point. If you don't think you can stand seeing her like that, then maybe it's better if you're not near her during detox."

Hanaa felt her eyes burning with tears, feeling slightly guilty about what she was going to put Jiwe through. They both knew it would be a scary process, but the way Zambarau was describing it, this would be plain torture. Hanaa dried her face with a paw and replied, determined to help Jiwe, "I promised her I'd be with her every step of the way, and I won't let her down. So what happens next?"

"Then comes the stage of mental torture, we call it. It's hard to say what goes on inside their heads at this point. All we know is that the addicts become very secluded. J might not speak to anyone for days. She might try to hurt herself. She might stop eating. She might try to persuade everyone that she's clean, but you can tell from the look in their eyes that the poison is still affecting their judgement. At this stage we can safely send in someone to the cell to tend to her. She'll be in such a hazy state that she won't try to run or escape."

"Could I see her then?" Hanaa asked, looking hopeful, but she folded her ears down sadly when Zambarau shook her head.

"It's not a pretty sight, and at this stage, many relatives or friends have still given in and slipped the addict an Oil-Leaf or two, ruining the whole procedure. I'm sorry, H, but I can't allow that to happen."

Hanaa sighed deeply. "Man, what did I get her into..." she mumbled.

Zambarau looked at her and replied, "See? It hasn't even started yet, and you're already regretting this. I think it's better if I send you away on an Awareness Mission, before it's too late."

"No, no! I'm sorry, please, don't send me away, I promise you I'll be strong! If you want, you can be witness of my visits! But please... I abandoned her once already, I can't do it again, not when she'll need me the most."

Zambarau considered her suggestion for a moment, and then nodded in the end. "All right, we can do that. But at the first sign of weakness from your side, you will leave me no choice, is that clear?"

Hanaa nodded, willing to do her best and help Jiwe through this. "Say... What happens after that? When can you tell she's clean for sure?"

"You'll know when you see her," Zambarau said, smiling encouragingly. She quickly changed subject, seeing that Jiwe was already returning. "You should make sure that she eats something. She'll need her strength."

Hanaa acknowledged her last sentence, and smiled at Jiwe, who looked a bit sheepish.

"Man, that didn't go well, heh," she said, chuckling slightly, "Mwezi couldn't believe I was checkin' meself into one of them dungeons. She was also mighty pissed that I had to give all them herbs away because of her mess-up, heh, but she's really grateful about what ya done for her. She reckons giving ya them herbs was the least we could do. But yeah, she be lookin' real twitchy too, shakin' good and proper."

"Really?" Hanaa asked, sounding slightly worried. If what Zambarau said was true, Mwezi herself could present a potential threat for the detoxing lioness. The cheetah could try and find herbs for the two of them, if she was not willing to go clean just yet.

Zambarau seemed to have read Hanaa's mind, and they both exchanged a quick, meaningful glance.

Jiwe went on, unaware of their speechless communication, "Yeah, heh, I think she's also cravin' her fix real badly, yo. But she said she'd wait to see how the torture worked on me 'n all, and then she'd decide whether to follow my example." She then lowered her voice and whispered, "Between you and me, I think that Ranger's got an eye on her. Saw him chattin' her up and even jokin' around. About time, I say! That cheetah-girl really needs to get laid, yo!"

Hanaa and Zambarau couldn't hide a smile, seeing Jiwe looking very happy for her friend.

"Come on, J, let's go have some dinner together, before your journey begins. It'll be a few days until we get to dine together again, so let's make the most of it, what do you say?" Hanaa asked, nuzzling Jiwe lovingly, hoping that she could keep a happy and optimistic attitude despite what Zambarau had just told her.

Jiwe accepted her invitation, and she joined Hanaa by the left-overs of the zebra from the day before. Jiwe ate very little, as usual, her tummy still a bit upset from all the pouches they had been carrying earlier, but at least she wouldn't be locked up with an empty stomach.

Zambarau could only hope that Jiwe would carry on eating throughout the detox procedure as well. She had never seen a lion in such a sorry state, and Zambarau wasn't sure if Jiwe would be strong enough to complete the detox without the medical assistance of the mandrill. But she was also willing to work extra hard, and help Jiwe get a second chance at life.

* * *

Zambarau led Jiwe to the Recovering Cave, followed by Hanaa and a few recovering addicts who were cheering for her and shouting encouraging words.

Jiwe looked at them apprehensively, trying to appear strong and confident, but she was obviously nervous and scared. But their friendly words were helping immensely, and she began thanking them for being there, even if they hadn't even met before.

She looked at a male lion standing next to Hanaa. She hadn't spotted him before, and despite him having a bit of a thin built, he looked quite healthy. Jiwe couldn't help herself and blurted out, "Yo, stud, how long have ya been recoverin' in here? Ya look so good ya must be ready to leave!"

Hanaa chuckled and slapped Jiwe on the head softly. "Trying to make me jealous, huh? Besides, Z here is not an addict!"

The lion grinned, still blushing slightly from Jiwe's comment. "That's right. I'm only here to support a Pride-mate of mine. She also got addicted a while ago, and didn't want to come on her own, so I've been living here with her for the time being."

"Oh, yeah? How's she doin'? And how come you don't give us yer full name if ya ain't an addict?"

The lion laughed. "She's doing very well, thanks for asking. The way things are going, she might be able to return to the Pride real soon. As for my name, I'm keeping it at Z, just to go with the flow. But I'll tell you what, when you get nice and clean, and I'll tell you my full name then."

Jiwe grinned, but was forced to look away when she noticed a few animals pushing a boulder towards the cave.

Zambarau walked up to her and said, "Are you ready, J?"

"No," Jiwe replied right away, making a few animals chuckle. Only she wasn't joking, she felt completely unprepared.

Hanaa nuzzled Jiwe and whispered, "Just hang in there, baby, Think of how happy we're going to be when you come out, and think of how happy we were in there earlier today..." Hanaa winked at Jiwe and licked her cheek in a loving kiss.

Jiwe returned the nuzzle, but got slightly startled when she heard a familiar, friendly voice saying, "Yo, bonebag!"

The lioness turned to see Mwezi standing there, still looking a bit weak, resting her weight on Ajabu.

Jiwe padded up to her, and they both nuzzled and hugged each other. "Ya came here to wish me luck or to make fun of me?"

"Ya gone crazy, I tell ya," Mwezi said, crying slightly, "And I must be even crazier, to be followin' yer example."

"What?" Jiwe said, her eyes wide open, "Ya pullin' me leg, innit!"

Mwezi shook her head. "Nope, I ain't playin' games here. Ajabu managed to persuade me to give it a try along with ya. I figured, if ya could do it, why couldn't I? Er... no offence, just meant, ya being addicted to the Oil-Leaf 'n all-"

"I get it," Jiwe said, smiling gratefully, and she held Mwezi close once again. "Thanks, cheetah-mom, so I guess I'll be seein' ya on the other side, huh?"

"Yup, that is if Zam here still has a cave free for me," Mwezi said.

"You don't want to wait until you feel better? You lost a lot of blood, after all," Zambarau asked the cheetah, just to make sure.

Mwezi shook her head and whispered for only her to hear, "I know it's gonna be hell for Jiwe, and I don't trust meself not to go out there and look for herbs to ease her pain. Please, just keep me here inside, until she gets out. It's better this way."

Zambarau was impressed that this suggestion had come from Mwezi directly. She had been afraid that she would need to keep Jiwe and Mwezi separated somehow, so she was glad that the solution came all by itself. And with an added bonus, Mwezi herself would be able to detox without temptation too. Zambarau couldn't have felt any more satisfied. She quickly called for another boulder to be rolled towards the caves.

Ajabu patted Mwezi on the shoulder, looking a bit awkward. "Well, M, it's been great talking to you, I hope you'll accept a dinner invitation when you're out. My treat!"

"Y-Yeah, sure," Mwezi stammered, not used to that kind of attention, "Ya'll know where to find me, innit?"

The Ranger nodded, giving her a warm smile. He then stepped back, allowing Zambarau to carry on.

Zambarau took a deep breath, and said, "All right, girls, this is it. Please step into the caves."

Jiwe gave one last quick kiss to Hanaa, and wished Mwezi good luck through a heart-felt nuzzle. The two addicts entered their respective caves, to the sound of cheering and stomping of paws on the ground.

Mwezi quickly located the grass bed and went to lay down, still in pain from earlier. She just wanted to rest for now, and worry about the detox later.

Meanwhile, Jiwe had frozen on her spot, feeling her body become cold as stone. She had no idea if this was the lack of Oil-Leaves, or if she was just scared senseless, but before she could turn around and run back out, the entrance was sealed, leaving Jiwe in darkness, with a few moonbeams shining down through the holes in the roof.

Jiwe tried to push the rock away, but it was too heavy for one single lioness. She began pacing to and fro, and called out loud, "Mwezi? Yo, can ya hear me?" but she got no reply.

Jiwe was starting to panic, when one of the moon-beams got blocked by someone standing close to the roof-holes.

"Hello? Anyone out there?" Jiwe screamed as loud as she could.

"I'm here, Baby-J, just like I promised," she heard Hanaa's sweet voice replying from above.

It immediately soothed Jiwe's nerves, and she finally stopped pacing. She sat on her haunches glancing upwards. "_Baby-J_... I like that, heh... Anyway, what happens now, Hanaabee?" she asked, not able to hide a smile.

"Now, you try and go to sleep," came Hanaa's muffled sound from above, "I'll be spending every night right here on this spot, it's as close to you as I can get right now. Good night, and be strong!"

Jiwe sighed and headed towards the grass bed, trampling it slightly until it was comfortable enough for her taste. She lay down and tried to sleep, but the twitching of her muscles kept rousing her. Jiwe also had started shivering again, so she tried to dig herself under the dead grass bed. It helped slightly, but since Jiwe was not generating any body heat of her own, she began trembling so hard that all the grass kept sliding down back to the ground.

"Okay, I'm clean, I'm ready to come out now," Jiwe called to Hanaa through chattering teeth.

"Whuh? Heh, nice try, Baby-J, just try and go back to sleep again," Hanaa replied, hoping Jiwe wouldn't feel the discomfort much if she fell asleep.

Jiwe grunted and lay down again, noticing that the muscle-twitching was becoming more and more painful as time went by. By sunrise, Jiwe finally let out an ear-splitting scream, as the cramps started, just as predicted by Zambarau.

Her screams were so loud that even Mwezi could hear them faintly within her own cave. She was also having a terrible time, in the form of hot and cold flashes, shiver attacks, general discomfort and just an insane craving for a fix. Thinking about what Jiwe must be going through fuelled her strength, and she found herself thinking often, _It could be worse than what I'm feelin' right now._

Hanaa could now understand what Zambarau meant. Seeing Jiwe in such pain was horrible, even when she knew that this was all for her own good. Hanaa found herself wishing she could just run away to avoid hearing Jiwe like that. Going away on an Awareness Mission seemed more and more appealing by the second.

Zambarau got up early and decided to pop by the caves. He found Ajabu chatting to Mwezi through the roof-holes, and Hanaa pacing wildly like a mad dog.

"Morning, H. I'm here to relieve you. Why don't you go have a drink and some food-" Zambarau began to say, but Hanaa clung to her neck in a tight hug and began to cry.

"Listen to her, we have to help her, please..."

Zambarau held Hanaa close and patted her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Shhh, it's okay, remember we discussed this before? The pain will go away, you just need to be strong for her. If her screaming is getting to you, just leave. Go run around, join the huntresses in search for dinner, you don't need to be here all day, dear."

"I promised her..." Hanaa said between sobs, while Jiwe's screaming drowned her voice.

Zambarau knew Jiwe's yelling would only get worse, so she decided to stick around with Hanaa for a while. "Can you lie down on your belly?" she asked.

Hanaa nodded and she rested on her tummy, looking very distressed. Zambarau knew this could happen, and she was prepared to spend a lot of her time by this cave, tending to Jiwe and Hanaa's needs. Zambarau lay down close to Hanaa, and she actually used her paws to cover the younger lioness' ears. In the meantime, she began grooming Hanaa. There were very few lionesses who didn't find grooming relaxing, and luckily for Zambarau, Hanaa was not one of them.

Hanaa relaxed considerably, and while she could still hear Jiwe crying and yelling, she was much more calm about it.

When Zambarau released Hanaa's ears, Hanaa quickly took over and used her own paws to muffle the sounds around her. "How come I didn't think of this earlier?"

"Like I said, dear, her pain will make you not think straight sometimes. It hurts your heart and clouds your judgement."

"How long will she keep on screaming like this?" Hanaa asked.

"I'm not sure, dear. With an addiction as severe as Jiwe's, I daresay it will take very long. Two to three days, maybe."

Jiwe meanwhile was unaware of what was going on outside, since she couldn't hear Hanaa's voice over the sound of her own wailing. She lay sprawled in the middle of the cave, the grass bed now scattered all over the place. "Okay, I give up!" she screamed, "I can't do this, lemme out! I need a leaf, please! I'm dying here! Dammit, Hanaa, if you really cared for me, you'd help me out! Where the hell are ya? Did ya run away from me again?"

She carried on like that, calling Hanaa horrible names in the process. But her pleas and insults were in vain, and with Zambarau's help, Hanaa also remained strong and didn't give in to Jiwe's cries of help.

Jiwe's voice became raw and hoarse, until she couldn't scream anymore, although Hanaa could still her whimpering and breathing heavily. The muscle cramps gave way to convulsions, during which Jiwe lost control of her body and couldn't react or speak. She even soiled herself a few times, unable to help it.

With tears flowing nonstop, Jiwe finally saw the sun-rays coming through the roof-holes turn into moonbeams again. She had survived her first day in confinement, even though she never felt this close to dying ever before. Her body was still twitching in uncomfortable, painful cramps, but they were less recurrent now.

Hanaa waited a considerable amount of time, until she couldn't hear Jiwe thrashing anymore. "Baby-J?" she called, sounding hesitant, "Are you awake?"

"Bugger off," Jiwe tried to yell back, but her voice had completely disappeared. She growled loudly and rolled around.

Hanaa could still hear Jiwe moving down below, and said, "We're going to lower the food and water now. If you're not hungry at least try to drink all the water. We need to keep you hydrated."

Jiwe sighed deeply and watched how Hanaa lowered a large piece of meat and coconut-half carefully tied up to two strong tree-vines.

Jiwe ignored the meat at first and headed straight for the water, feeling extremely thirsty. She drank it to the very last drop, and licked the coconut for any more remnants. She then turned towards the meat. Jiwe took a few nibbles, but felt very nauseous after that, and not wanting to throw up again, she simply tugged at the vines, indicating that she was done.

She watched as they pulled out the food, and perked her ears, as she tried to hear the discussion going on above.

"She drank it all, that's great. Didn't eat much though... Do you know what's her favorite meat? We could try that one next time," she heard Zambarau say.

"I have no idea what she likes best, but every time I've seen her eating, it's just a few nibbles, no matter what sort of meat."

Jiwe tried to tell them it didn't matter, she wouldn't eat no matter what, and she would starve herself to death if they didn't let her out of this cave right now. But her busted throat just wouldn't cooperate, making her even angrier and cranky. She grunted in frustration, but eventually, she calmed down, and realized that seeing Hanaa's body nearby, blocking one of the hole's light, was still a reassuring sight.

A couple of days went by, and Jiwe's body had stopped twitching considerably. Most of the pain she felt now was residual. It reminded her of the muscle ache she got when she had spent hours running after herds, attempting to hunt something in vain.

Her mood also became less explosive, but the poor lioness still kept calling out to whomever was nearby, saying things like, "Anybody got an Oil-Leaf to spare, please? I'll make it worth yer trouble! Heck, I'll even take some friggin' Catnip at this point, c'mon!" or "Yo, I ain't twitchin' no more, you guys! Can I come out now?" only to be told that she wasn't ready yet.

And deep inside, Jiwe knew they were right. More often than not, her thoughts were centered on what she would do if she could get her paws on an Oil-Leaf. She would even begin to salivate just at the thought of it. Jiwe knew very well that if she were presented with one right now, she would not hesitate at all to crush it right away.

The Matumaini Pride never failed to bring her food and water. Jiwe always did her best when it came to drinking everything, but she still ate very tiny portions, not enough to make her gain any weight. This worried Zambarau slightly, but for now, as long as Jiwe kept drinking and eating a little bit, she should be all right.

Hanaa would linger nearby most of the time, and sometimes the other recovering addicts would join in for a quick chat or a few encouraging words. Jiwe even had a chance to speak to Z's friend, who had also undergone a very hard recovery session, although not as hard as Jiwe's. "Keep it up, you're halfway there!" she said, encouraging Jiwe to hang on.

Now that Jiwe wasn't distracted by the intense and constant pain, and she stopped being angry at everyone, being confined in that cave gave her a lot of time to think about the past, and reflect on how she had lived until today. Jiwe began dwelling on the bad things that happened, such as Rahisi not paying enough attention to her, and the Bosses feeding her herbs as a cub. Jiwe had never been oblivious to these facts, however, they never seemed to have bothered her. She just took assumed that that was how her life was supposed to be.

But Jiwe was now becoming very much aware of the fact that the Paka Pride was not how a normal Pride should operate, especially after seeing how the Matumaini Pride lived. She couldn't get over just how supportive everyone had been since she arrived, making the Paka members look quite mean in comparison.

Jiwe also found herself think about Hanaa and her beautiful, muscular and toned body, although not in a lustful way. It simply had become very apparent just how much damage the herbs had done to Jiwe's own body. Jiwe always knew she looked terrible, even though she acted like she was the hottest thing around. But as she now stared down at her emaciated figure, as if for the first time ever, Jiwe finally saw the extent of the damage she had allowed to happen. She was literally a bag of bones, and she began wondering what Hanaa could have seen in her.

Jiwe finally reached the stage in which the addicts would become quiet and withdrawn, as she tried to face her inner demons. The mask of confidence, security, and lack of interest in what others thought about her, had been stripped off her face, exposing Jiwe's deepest fears and making her feel rather insecure for the first time in her life. In between her bouts of despair, Jiwe was still trying her best to keep a somewhat positive attitude. She spent every minute trying to reassure herself that despite everything she had done, she was still worthy of living. However, as the withdrawal symptoms got worse, Jiwe started to change her mind about that last statement. She had done horrible things, and dragged many animals down. And why? Just to feel loved, popular and accepted?

Jiwe also realized that she had no idea what made _her_ happy, other than doing herbs. The herbs had been her whole world, and now that she didn't have access to them, Jiwe felt devoid of meaning and purpose in her life. It was not like her to feel this depressed, but Jiwe couldn't help it. What was she to do if she got clean? All she was good at was dealing gear. She couldn't hunt, she couldn't fight, just what in the world was she expecting to accomplish? Jiwe felt she would be better off dead. And just like that, Jiwe lost all her hope and gave up. She was already an ugly, walking skeleton anyway, it wouldn't take long for her to die inside this miserable cave. All she needed to do was to ignore the food and water sent down from above.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

Thanks everyone for your feedback so far!

You can now find Jiwe's character sheet here: **fav . me / d695lgj**

Only one more chapter + epilogue to go, people! Do you think Jiwe will make it? :D


	13. A New Beginning

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Chapter 13: A New Beginning**

Zambarau and Hanaa began getting worried after lowering the vines with food and water, only to retrieve them and find that Jiwe had not eaten or drunk anything at all.

Zambarau was aware that this could happen, but usually the addicts pulled through all by themselves after a few days of hunger. Only, she wasn't sure that Jiwe's already emaciated state would actually allow her to recover. As such, after the second day of fasting, Zambarau decided it was time to open the cave and give Jiwe some extra help towards recovery.

She called the mandrill that assisted Mwezi earlier, and the male lion they called Z offered his assistance as well, in case they needed to restrain Jiwe somehow.

Hanaa was not allowed inside, but she lingered near the roof-holes, shuffling around nervously. She hoped that in case Jiwe panicked, she could calm her down a bit.

A few recovering addicts helped in rolling the rock aside, but Jiwe didn't even bother looking up once light flooded the small cave. She simply closed her eyes tight, and covered her face with a paw.

Zambarau was the first one to walk in, while everyone else waited outside, ready to spring into action in case Jiwe unexpectedly attempted to escape.

Jiwe lay on her side, looking weak and tired. Zambarau could see that she had been either chewing or picking at the bald spots on her legs, since some parts were bleeding, and others were covered in scabs. The irritated area looked quite bad; it was clearly infected. Zambarau determined that Jiwe posed no threat, and she motioned for the mandrill to come inside and tend to her.

Jiwe remained quiet and motionless, wincing slightly as the mandrill cleaned her wounds with a liquid that stung slightly.

In the meantime, Zambarau examined the cave. Jiwe had been quite careless in her desperation. The place was very dirty, there was sand and grass everywhere, and it appeared she had been trying to claw at the walls that had been previously padded with dry leaves. In cases like this, the addict would be moved to a different cave, but Zambarau knew that this particular cave meant something to Jiwe. Since that feeling could eventually fuel Jiwe's strength to recover, the old lioness decided to take a different approach this time.

She looked over her shoulder towards the animals gathered outside. "Are there any volunteers willing to help with some clean-up in here?" Zambarau called.

Several animals offered their assistance, and began gathering new grass for a fresh bed. They scooped out the waste and dirt, and refilled the toilet area with fresh sand. The holes in the padded walls were promptly filled in with new leaves. Some addicts would get so desperate that they would bang their heads on the walls in an attempt to make themselves pass out and forget about the pain for a while. So it was important for the walls to be covered with something soft to minimize the damage.

Zambarau examined Jiwe's body carefully, and could see that she was covered in bruises. She must have been slamming her body against the walls at some point. The mandrill also tended to those wounds, but even he appeared worried about Jiwe's lethargic state. She hadn't even bothered snarling at him, despite the discomfort he was certainly causing her.

"Well, the wounds are clean. Now comes the hard part," the mandrill said.

Zambarau nodded, and leaned over to bite on Jiwe's nape gently, much like she would have done with a small cub. She then lifted Jiwe's torso up rather easily, applying even more strength than was needed, since she didn't realize until then just how little Jiwe weighed. Zambarau then placed Jiwe back on the floor, so that she was resting on her belly, like a sphinx.

When Zambarau released Jiwe's nape, the addict's head flopped back down to the ground, like a rag doll.

"All right, dear, we're going to give you some water, and perhaps a little bit of food too, to keep you strong," Zambarau explained, but received no reply.

The mandrill in the meantime had prepared a herbal remedy that would help against dehydration, and he would attempt to feed it to Jiwe in small sips. This was always a tense situation for him. The addicts sometimes tended to snap and become angry when force-fed, so he wasn't looking forward to this activity.

Zambarau held Jiwe's head up, and the mandrill forced Jiwe's jaw open. He tried to pour some of the drink into Jiwe's mouth, but it only sipped out through her lips and onto the ground.

"She's not swallowing the beverage, we'll have to aim for her throat," the mandrill said.

Zambarau nodded, and she finally called in Z to help. "I'll hold her head, you try and keep her jaws open as wide as you can," she told the lion.

Z forced Jiwe's mouth open again, as wide as he could, ready to spring back in case Jiwe snapped at him.

The mandrill poured the liquid into the back of Jiwe's throat this time, causing the lioness to swallow some of it, while going into a coughing fit. This seemed to have awakened the addict from her lethargic state.

"What the hell, yo! Leave me alone, all of ya!" Jiwe mumbled between coughs.

When Z tried to pry Jiwe's jaws open once again, Jiwe began resisting, shaking her head out of his grasp, and snarling slightly. "I said, leave me alone!"

"Please, J, you have to cooperate. If you don't like what we're doing, then just eat and drink on your own and we'll stop bothering you, we promise," Zambarau said, trying to encourage her.

"Well, I don't wanna eat, so bugger off!"

"Then you'll have to do it our way, J. All right, Z, let's try this again..." Zambarau said, attempting to hold Jiwe down with all her force.

But there was no way Jiwe would allow them to force-feed her. She became more and more upset, and kept glancing at the open entrance of the cave, with a wild look in her face, like a cornered animal looking for a way to escape.

"This isn't going to work," the mandrill said, retreating his hand quickly after Jiwe snapped at him, her teeth making a dangerous clicking sound as her jaws snapped together with force. He rubbed his temples, and looked at Zambarau with a hopeless expression. "Any other ideas?"

Zambarau shook her head. They would just have to overpower Jiwe until she couldn't move. She hated to do that, but Jiwe was leaving her no other choice. However, before she could give the orders to restrain Jiwe further, she heard Hanaa say, "Can you please let me try? You can stay with me, so you see I'm not sneaking in any herbs and such."

The older lioness pondered her options. It was obvious that Jiwe was using her last remnants of energy in fighting back, and there was a risk that after this moment of extreme stress and tension, Jiwe would never recover and would probably die in her sleep. As such, Zambarau decided to give Hanaa a chance, and invited the creamy lioness into the cave. She then asked Z and the mandrill to leave them alone for a moment.

They both nodded and exited the cave, joining the rest of the addicts, as they waited in anticipation to hear if Hanaa could get Jiwe to eat.

Hanaa entered the cave, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She then made her way towards Jiwe, who was still sitting on her tummy, looking very angry. Her ears were pinned back, the fur on her back and neck was bristled, and she looked ready to strike. Hanaa was not afraid, since she knew that Jiwe's blunt claws would cause her minimal damage. As long as Jiwe didn't try to bite her, Hanaa knew she would be okay.

"Hey, Baby-J... Zam here's given me permission to come and visit you. This is quite special, you know. She doesn't allow relatives or mates to visit an addict until the detox procedure is over."

"Yeah, whatever. Have ya got herbs with ya?" Jiwe whispered, still sounding very moody. She didn't appear happy or excited to see Hanaa, since her mind was still pretty much clouded by the lack of Oil-Leaves. But her face had brightened up ever so slightly at the thought that Hanaa might be sneaking in herbs for her.

Hanaa shook her head. "You know I don't, baby. S'just me, you'll have to do with my company only."

"Then piss off, just like the others," Jiwe snarled, visibly disappointed. She tried standing up with the intention to turn her back on Hanaa, but she had no strength left. Instead, she just faced the wall and closed her eyes, promptly ending their conversation.

Zambarau glanced at Hanaa, wondering whether she would give up already, but the young lioness didn't appear hurt or upset.

Instead, Hanaa took a few steps forward and sat down closer to Jiwe. "Why are you angry at me, J? Come, let's talk about it."

Jiwe opened her eyes again and faced Hanaa. She had felt very angry, at everyone, for a thousand different reasons. But right now, what upset Jiwe the most was the feeling that she would never be a normal lioness, no matter what she did.

"I'm jealous, okay?" Jiwe replied, "Of you, your friendly Pride, your good looks, your talents... What's the point of gettin' clean when I have nothin' to go back to and nothing to offer? Not to you, not to anyone. You came to me for the herbs, and now that I don't have those, I know it's a matter of time before ya find some other bloke and go with him. Someone who can actually protect ya 'n care for ya."

Hanaa lay down next to Jiwe, showing no fear, despite the fact that Jiwe's ears were still pinned down, and the fur on her back was still standing on end.

"You mean more to me than the herbs ever did, J. Remember how I came to visit you once? I brought us zebra for lunch. Remember that day?"

Jiwe sighed and nodded.

"I came looking for you. Not the herbs, not the parties, just you. The herbs were just a fun thing we did together, but it was your company that mattered to me. When I didn't get any messages from you, I felt extremely sad. Ask Zam, she won't let me lie about these things. I missed the herbs, of course; I had to detox too. But I missed you the most."

Jiwe looked at Hanaa, and then at Zambarau, who was nodding along in agreement. The skinny lioness focused on Hanaa again and asked through a slightly choked up voice. "What in the world did you see in someone like me? Just look at me, yo! Skin 'n bones, dirty, ugly, Oil-head-"

Hanaa placed her paw on Jiwe's mouth gently, hushing her. "I saw a lot of things. I saw a friendly lioness who could get along with everyone. I loved your jokes, your confidence, your optimistic view of things, and you just helped me make my world wider and broader. I was desperate for that, you have no idea. I loved my Pride, but... I just needed something else, I didn't know what. Then I heard of a party where someone would be handing out free herbs and I just went for it, not knowing what to expect. Then I met you and my world just turned upside down."

Jiwe's eyes began to tear up. "Is that supposed to make me feel good? Well it don't feel good knowin' it's my fault that ya got hooked on herbs, and ended up in this damn place."

"You talk of the Matumaini Pride as if it's a bad thing, and it isn't, Baby-J. I've never been happier. My life has some meaning now, even more now that you're by my side. You don't need to feel guilty or sad or angry about what happened. You didn't stuff the herbs down my throat, it was my own choice, so you can stop beating yourself over that now. Come on, I'd really love to have my happy, confident J back."

Zambarau in the meantime watched the two lionesses talking, keeping a good eye on Hanaa all the time. She was an expert in recognizing when someone was trying to slip a few herbs to the addict, to ease their pain for a bit, but Hanaa's intentions seemed genuine for now. She had to smile when she saw Jiwe's fur slowly going back to normal, and her ears began perking up slightly.

"Well, there's a problem," Jiwe said, rubbing her face with a paw, "I ain't feelin' confident or happy at all. I think the lack o' herbs has killed that side of me, yo. I just want to sleep and die and not feel this emptiness anymore."

Hanaa nodded understandingly. "I felt the same when I was detoxing, hun. But you know what they say about the Oil-Leaves, right?"

"They say a lotta things. What do ya mean?" Jiwe asked.

"When you're done tripping, you get this so called after-glow that lasts a few days. It's supposed to bring out your personality. So if you're happy and bouncy, you'll be even more so, until the effect wears off. It works both ways; if you're prone to feeling angry or sad, the Oil-Leaf can make you feel furious, or extremely depressed."

Jiwe tilted her head, as she remembered Rahisi's long episodes of crying and moping around, that eventually got on the Bosses' nerves.

"So what ya sayin' is...?" Jiwe asked.

"What I'm saying is that you're still the same lioness, you just need to find the happiness, confidence and optimism in yourself, without the aid of the herbs."

"How in the world am I gonna do that?" Jiwe asked, more to herself than to Hanaa.

"For starters, you have to make your body strong again. You can bomb your mind all you want with ideas and thoughts on how to get better, but right now it's your body that's screaming for help, and if you don't listen to that then you won't be able to put your thoughts and ideas into practice."

Jiwe chuckled and smiled for the very first time in days. "In short, ya sayin' I need to eat and drink."

Hanaa smiled back and nodded. "Yeah. That's the gist of it."

Jiwe lifted a paw weakly and placed it on top of Hanaa's. "Do ya really care for me? Even when I act and look like crap, like right now?"

Hanaa nodded without hesitation. "I love you, you know that. I wouldn't be here if I didn't care. And don't go around worrying about looks, Baby-J. That's not what caught my eye about you in the first place. But, if that's really a big concern for you at the moment, then just think that once you're done with detox, you will start eating healthy, and you will put on weight. Your fur will be nice and clean because I'll be grooming you every single day."

"But how will I eat healthy if I can't even hunt?" Jiwe asked, "I don't want you hunting for me all the time."

"Oh, if you want to learn, all you need to do is join the lessons!" Hanaa said brightly.

"Huh? Lessons?" Jiwe asked, "They got those here?"

Hanaa nodded. "I was even planning on asking Zam if I could become a teacher. You're not the only addict who can't hunt, you know. It is more common than you think. And between you and me, I'm a damn good huntress. I bet I can teach you a trick or two."

Jiwe let out a loud laugh, her face brightening up considerably. "I bet you can, babe." She remained silent for a moment after hearing that, looking thoughtful. "Ya really think I could learn? Even at my age?" Jiwe asked eventually, her uncertain future looking slightly brighter.

"I'm sure you can. You're much younger than some of the addicts that Zam's helped to get back on track. And they're all back out there, not only fending for themselves, but for their families as well."

Jiwe smiled and rested her head on her paws for a moment. "So you had been planning to stay here with Zam's Pride, instead of returning to your own?"

"I was not sure what I wanted to do," Hanaa replied, "I wanted to stay here, but a big part of me also wanted to go back and look for you, and find out why you had ditched me. But now that we're both here, I'm looking forward to a new beginning with you by my side. I don't care if it's with the Matumaini Pride, or if it's just the two of us, just as long as we're together."

Jiwe stared at her thoughtfully and finally admitted, "It is a nice Pride, this one, innit?"

"They're all very nice, yes," Hanaa replied, while Zambarau couldn't hide a smile spreading on her stern face.

Jiwe dried her face with a paw and asked, "Ya ain't sayin' all this just to get me to eat, are ya?"

Hanaa winked at Jiwe. "Maybe I am. How did I do? Are you hungry already?" she joked, making Jiwe crack up as well.

"I ain't hungry at all, but I'll do my best."

Zambarau then approached the two lionesses, smiling broadly. "I'm really glad to hear this, J. It only gets better from here on, I promise. You'll find that the discomfort in your body will fade very soon. Your body always detoxes quicker than your mind. After that, you'll still have to deal with the psychological dependance that the herbs created, but we'll all be here to help you along, if you let us."

Zambarau then pushed forward the coconut half containing the remedy the mandrill had prepared for Jiwe earlier.

Jiwe glanced at it, and began lapping slowly. She then took her usual small nibbles of meat, making Zambarau and Hanaa sigh in relief.

"That's my girl," Hanaa said, nuzzling Jiwe when she was done.

Jiwe gave her a cheeky grin and whispered, "Maybe I'll stop eating more often, so that they let ya come and visit me."

Hanaa laughed and replied, "That won't be necessary, Baby-J. You're almost there, just hang on. A few more days and you'll begin to feel the difference."

Hanaa licked Jiwe's cheek and bid her good-bye, while Zambarau and the mandrill did one last check on her infected wounds. Jiwe didn't complain, and even seemed a bit sorry for being so nasty to them earlier.

"Didn't mean to snap at ya," she told them softly.

"I know, dear, it's going to be okay," Zambarau said, patting Jiwe's shoulder reassuringly, and she left the cave, together with the mandrill.

Jiwe was surrounded by darkness after Zambarau closed the entrance to the cave once again, but she didn't feel scared or panicked. Instead, she looked around and realized that someone had cleaned the place in the meantime. Jiwe sniffed the area, picking up the scents of several animals that were there earlier, and inhaled deeply when she picked up Hanaa's scent. Jiwe smiled, and lay down on the dry grass bed, feeling a little glimmer of hope. Maybe she could get through this after all.

As days went by, Jiwe finally began to understand what everyone had meant when they said she would be feeling different. For the first time she experienced what it was like not to feel the physical need to use herbs. Her body had finally got rid of all the poison coursing through her veins, and Jiwe felt strangely aware of her body. It looked bruised and battered, and Jiwe couldn't wait to do whatever it took to make it look nice again.

Her head was also much clearer, although the psychological dependance was still there. Only Jiwe could now tell the difference between the need for herbs, and just a crave. She knew she didn't need the herbs anymore, even though her mind sometimes still hinted at her that herbs were once cool and they made her feel rather good. Sometimes she still wished she could feel good and confident about herself like she did before. She realized at some point that this feeling would probably never go away, and she would need to be strong so as not to give in to the crave.

Jiwe decided to try and listen to her clean body instead, and as if aware of the inadvertent hunger that plagued her through the years, she began eating more and more. She had to do it slowly, because if she tried stuffing her face, all the meat would come right back up. But she made enough progress, until the point where she was able to finish a whole portion of meat without feeling bloated or sick.

Zambarau and Hanaa continued monitoring Jiwe's progress, and were immensely pleased to see that Jiwe's eating pattern was coming back to normal.

Hanaa would talk to Jiwe often through the roof-holes, and she noticed that Jiwe had stopped making excuses to try and get out of the cave. Instead, she actually confided in Hanaa that she had warmed up to her cell, and admitted to being afraid of leaving it.

"What if I fall back into my old ways?" Jiwe asked, sounding uncertain.

"If that happens, we'll just have to try detox again, Baby-J," Hanaa said, knowing that addicts were prone to relapse sometimes, "You've done it once, you can do it again, right?"

"Yeah, only I don't wanna go through this again, ever. Man, I can't believe I'm sayin' this but... I really, truly believe that I'm done with them herbs, for good," Jiwe said with conviction.

Hanaa grinned, knowing Jiwe's detox period was coming to an end.

Zambarau herself had a few chats with Jiwe via the roof-holes, and could tell that Jiwe was definitely thinking differently now. While the young lioness was still slightly insecure and scared of what the future would bring, she also sounded hopeful and excited about her new life. And just like that, without any warning, Zambarau decided to open the Recovering Cave, and let Jiwe out for the first time in months.

Jiwe walked out slowly, wincing at the bright light hitting her face. She smiled at the cheers of the Matumaini Pride, congratulating her for having completed this difficult step. She inhaled the morning, fresh air deeply, as if for the first time.

"Reborn," Jiwe whispered to herself, while tears rolled down her face. She understood what Hanaa meant now, it all made perfect sense. Jiwe looked up at the bright, blue sky, wishing that her mother could have been here too. A gentle breeze blew on her face, drying her tears slightly, making Jiwe smile.

Hanaa then walked up to Jiwe, and gave her a loving kiss on her cheek. "You made it! I'm so proud of you, Baby-J!"

"Thanks, Hanaabee, I think I'm proud of meself too," Jiwe admitted, feeling slightly more confident now that the prospect of starting anew as a clean lioness had become a reality.

It was a confusing feeling, Jiwe wasn't sure how to handle it, or even describe it. The only word that kept coming to her mind every time was _freedom_. She could finally make her own choices, and do as she pleased, without being tied to a miserable plant. It was incredibly exhilarating.

One by one, the recovering addicts began congratulating Jiwe, and to her surprise, Mwezi was amongst them too.

"Well, if it ain't a clean, herb-free Bonebag!" she exclaimed.

"Cheetah-mom! Wow, how long have ya been out? Why didn't ya come and tell me?" Jiwe asked, hugging Mwezi tight.

The cheetah returned the embrace tightly, crying on Jiwe's shoulder. "Been out for a coupla weeks already. My detox wasn't as bad as yours, yo. And sorry I didn't come tell ya, I just thought you might feel bad knowing we weren't locked up at the same time no more..."

Jiwe nodded, patting her shoulder gently. "No worries, I get it." She looked at the cheetah, who had already put on a bit of weight since the last time they saw each other.

"Ya lookin' fine, by the way! Say, did that handsome Ranger already take ya out for dinner?" Jiwe asked, winking at Mwezi.

When the cheetah blushed in reply, Jiwe let out a loud squeal.

"Ya did not!" the lioness exclaimed.

"Hey, we just had dinner, don't go gettin' any crazy ideas, Bonebag."

Jiwe laughed brightly and said, "Dinner, hmm. So, when's the next date?"

Mwezi looked at Jiwe and grinned. "We're meetin' tomorrow..."

The lioness let out a little, naughty chuckle, and Mwezi slapped her softly in return. "Mind your own business, yo," the cheetah said, smiling like Jiwe had never seen her smile before.

After the excitement of being released from the cave and being cheered on by every Pride member, Jiwe and Mwezi excused themselves and went to take a short walk together, eager to exchange experiences and thoughts.

"What do you think, Cheetah-mom?" Jiwe said, "Was this whole experience as strange for you as it was for me?" Jiwe asked, curious to hear Mwezi's point of view.

"I'd never expected to say this, but it was very liberating," Mwezi admitted, "I feel better, stronger, and more focused than ever. Makes me wonder what I could've accomplished in the past, instead of spendin' me days just spacin' out and diggin' for herbs, ya know what I'm sayin'?"

Jiwe went very quiet as she thought about the time she spent with Kiume and Shukrani. Mwezi had been able to summarize in just a few words all the thoughts that had been raging in her mind. Jiwe's head was full of _what if's_, and she found that talking to Mwezi was helping a lot to clear her head.

The two former addicts stopped by the creek where Mwezi almost died months earlier. It all seemed so distant now.

Jiwe bent over to take a drink and then stared at her reflection in the water. It was the first time that she saw herself since she got locked in the cave. Jiwe could tell that she was still as skinny as could be, but there was a certain warmth in her eyes that she never noticed before. The droopy eye lids caused by the Oil-Leaf were gone, making her look more awake and alert.

"So this is what I look like when I ain't high 'n trippin' balls," Jiwe said, smiling to herself. "I thought that without the herbs I'd end up hatin' myself and my horrible body, and yet... I don't. I feel I wanna take care of meself now."

Mwezi joined her and stared at her reflection too. "I get ya," she replied softly, nuzzling Jiwe. She then stopped to sniff the lioness for a moment.

"I know, I know... I haven't groomed meself in months. I stink to the heavens," Jiwe said, chuckling slightly.

Mwezi smiled at her, wrinkling her nose in a playful fashion. "Um, yeah, ya kinda do. But that's not what I was smelling. I just realized that you don't stink like the Oil-leaves no more."

Jiwe smiled and glanced down at her forelegs. The bald patches were looking a lot better; the infection was receding and the discomfort was very mild now. She also retracted and extended her damaged claws repeatedly, looking at them thoughtfully. "Ya think these Oil-Leaf marks will ever go away?"

Mwezi nodded reassuringly. "Fur always grows back, and them nails too. Just give it time, sweetie."

Jiwe smiled and stared into the water again. She then took a deep breath, and stepped into the creek carefully. It was shallow, allowing the lioness to lay down. She began splashing and rolling around, trying to dislodge all the dirt, dust and filth accumulated on her matted pelt.

Jiwe was not fond of water at all, but she really wanted to be more presentable for Hanaa. She was afraid that a simple grooming session would not do this time, and she didn't want to put Hanaa or anyone else through the trouble of trying and clean all that horrible filth with their tongues.

Mwezi watched her quietly, as the dirt collected through the months got washed away by the current, tainting the creek visibly with a dirty, muddy color. Jiwe continued to roll around until the water passing through her body came out looking crystal clear. Jiwe finally stepped out of the water and shook herself vigorously.

The cheetah winced slightly as a few droplets reached her face, but she chuckled and approached Jiwe, who now looked like a drowned rat, albeit, a very happy one. She was shivering from top to bottom, having lost all her body heat in the water.

"C'mon, let's get ya all dried up before ya catch a cold," Mwezi said, leading Jiwe into a sunny spot. She then helped Jiwe by licking dry all the hard-to-reach spots. Little by little, Jiwe regained her body heat and stopped shivering. She was now looking forward to going back to the common area, feeling a lot more confident, now that she knew her smell wouldn't make anyone uncomfortable.

"Let's go back, whaddayasay?" Jiwe said.

Mwezi nodded in agreement. They made their way back silently, still thinking about all the recent changes in their lives.

They finally returned to the common area by the waterhole, where they found Hanaa talking to Z and his Pride-mate. Jiwe and Mwezi joined them, only to find that they were actually saying their good-byes. The lioness in question looked happy and healthy, and was looking forward to returning to her Pride.

Hanaa in the meantime glanced at Jiwe, noticing that she had cleaned herself up quite thoroughly. Jiwe's fur was still a bit moist and slightly disarrayed in some places, and Hanaa's heart skipped a beat. She thought Jiwe looked adorable, and she wanted nothing more than to pounce on her right there and then, and lick her from top to bottom... But that would have to wait. She concentrated again on the conversation going on, hoping nobody would notice her increased heart-rate nor the blush creeping up on her face.

"How about ya, Z? Ya really leavin'?" Jiwe asked, still unaware of the effect her bath had had on Hanaa, "I dunno why, but I had pegged ya as someone who'd like to stick around and help animals here."

The lion nodded. "You're right, it's been quite an experience, being here... But the thing is, there's somewhere else I need to go, and I've postponed it for too long already. I'm kind of afraid that it's too late, and I might not find what I'm looking for."

Jiwe tilted her head. "So you're not going back to your Pride?"

The male lion shook his head. "Nah, my dad's in charge there and he's doing a great job. He always knew that I didn't want to stick around and take over the Pride, and he respected my decision. Besides, he's got other sons now, who are stronger and fitter than I am. I'm sure they'll all be better leaders."

"I see... Well, good luck, then! Hope ya find what ya be lookin' for. Or should I say, _who_ ya be lookin' for?" Jiwe added, winking at him.

The lion blushed slightly but didn't elaborate any further, and Jiwe didn't pry for a change.

They head-butted each other affectionately, and Jiwe said, "Well, thanks for everythin', Z. See ya around."

"Oh," he said, "I just remembered I had promised you to tell you my full name if you got clean."

Jiwe grinned, remembering his promise. It felt as if it had been ages ago. "True! I guess I'll start by tellin' ya mine. The name's Jiwe, yo."

"Jiwe, that's a beautiful name," he said sincerely, "mine's actually Zende."

"Cool name, stud," Jiwe replied, "I think it's great how ya just went along with the rest of us. You'll always be good ol' Z to me."

Zende gave her a gentle hug, which Jiwe returned, feeling genuinely grateful for his support. Zende and his Pride-mate finally left the Matumaini Pride shortly after, while everyone wished them good-bye and good luck.

"Make sure we don't see you again around here!" the recovering addicts yelled at the retreating lioness, who roared back at them happily in return.

Hanaa waited until everyone had left, and then sat down very close to Jiwe. "Hmm, maybe someday soon you and I will be starting a similar journey. Isn't that exciting?" she said, scenting Jiwe discretely. Now that the herb-smell, dirt and filth was gone, Hanaa could finally tell what Jiwe's real scent was, and she loved it to bits. She couldn't help herself and buried her nose in Jiwe's pelt, inhaling deeply.

"I thought ya wanted to stay and become a teacher here?" Jiwe said, feeling in no rush to leave this place anymore. She chuckled naughtily when she noticed the effect of her bath on Hanaa, and wondered whether Zambarau would be too mad if they were to express their love right there and then.

"Only if you join my lessons," Hanaa replied, smiling warmly at Jiwe.

Jiwe let out a deep, satisfied sigh, and managed to get a grip on herself. She looked away from Hanaa's pale-grey eyes, and looked around the Matumaini territory. "Ya know... This is startin' to feel more like home already. I don't think I'd mind stayin' here at all."

Her eyes then rested on Zambarau, who was walking Zende and his Pride-mate towards the border, looking proud and content. She always seemed to be busy with the recovering addicts one way or another, and a question came to Jiwe's mind.

"Say, Hanaabee... Just who is Zam's mate? I don't think I've ever seen her together with anyone. Is he away, like, as Ranger or somethin'?"

Hanaa shook her head in reply. "Zam's a widow, actually. She lost both her mate and her son to herbs several years ago."

"Oh, man..." Jiwe said, her ears drooping visibly, feeling a pang of guilt, wondering whether Shuk and Kiume, or even herself, might have been involved in their demise. "For real?"

"Yes, long time ago. It happened before you and I were born," Hanaa replied, as if reading Jiwe's mind. She stared at Zambarau in the distance, and added, "Only she stayed true to him and never searched for any other lion to pair up with. She sometimes speaks of him as if he were still alive. She reckons that he watches over her. So, instead of settling down with another lion, she formed this group and has dedicated all her energy to try and help others in the same situation. She firmly believes that if such a group had existed back then, she could have saved her mate and her son's lives."

Jiwe remained silent for a moment, appreciating even more what Zambarau had done for her. Instead of ripping Jiwe's throat out for being a dealer and luring animals into a horrible trap, she actually spent days on end just trying to make Jiwe better. She couldn't stop her eyes from tearing up slightly.

"Man, she's really something, innit? I'll have to figure out a way to thank her for all she's done. Maybe I can make meself useful around here somehow. Ya think she could use my help with somethin'?"

"Oh, I'm sure of that. There's always something to do here, so you won't feel too bored," Hanaa replied. She eyed the skinny lioness again, and felt her desire building up again. She then whispered into Jiwe's ear for only her to hear, "And if by any chance you do feel bored, I can always help out with that."

Jiwe closed her eyes and shuddered slightly in anticipation. "Ya know, I'm extremely bored right now, yo. Like, totally. Bored outta my mind, I tell ya."

Hanaa gave Jiwe a knowing smile, and gave her a seductive look when she motioned Jiwe to follow. "Time to do something about that."

The two lionesses searched for a nice spot to rest together from now on. They found a small clearing behind a thicket of bushes, and they promptly claimed it as their own.

Nobody would have guessed that the two lionesses were _not_ in season, if they had been witness of the two of them kissing, grooming, rolling around and making love until the late hours of the night. Once they felt they had finally made up for all the time they had spent apart, Jiwe rested on her back, looking exhausted, but extremely content. She stared at the stars thoughtfully, thinking about how close she had been to giving up. As Jiwe listened to Hanaa, breathing softly as she slept right next to her, Jiwe became certain that she had made the right choice, and she wouldn't trade herself for anyone else in the world.

Her life motto would need a slight modification, and smiled to herself when she knew just what it would be: 'I'm happy, I feel good, I get by, _and I'm free.'_

Jiwe rolled over, embracing Hanaa with four paws. She closed her eyes to sleep, feeling very eager for the morning to arrive, so that she could start a brand new day, and a brand new life, as a clean and healthy lioness.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

So, did it all turn out how you were hoping for? :D

There's one more bit coming up, so please stay tuned for the epilogue!


	14. Epilogue

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 3: Jiwe's Freedom**_

_**By Niche Eenhoorn**_

**Epilogue**

Jiwe waited in silence, feeling slightly nervous, since she was about to address a big crowd of animals. She had done this several times before already, but getting started was always a bit difficult, not knowing what kind of reaction she would get.

She watched as the lions and lionesses of a nearby Pride gathered around her, joined by a few leopards, wild dogs and hyenas from the area. Jiwe spotted a few younger animals in the audience, accompanied by their parents. There were a couple of teenagers, looking bored already, while a few lion cubs began a friendly wrestling match with the hyena and wild dog pups.

Jiwe took a deep breath and finally took a step forward, clearing her throat to attract the crowd's attention.

"Hey everyone, glad that ya'all could make it. My name's Jiwe, and I'm here on an Awareness Mission. Ya guys have any idea what that means?" she asked, as the crowd hushed and listened to her.

"I suppose you're going to try and teach us about something boring?" one of the teenager lions replied, while his friends chuckled.

Jiwe glanced at the crowd, to determine if everyone was in the same apathetic mood, but the rest of the onlookers appeared more interested to hear what she had to say. Feeling reassured, Jiwe carried on. "Well, you're right about one thing, I've come to teach ya something. I'm here to teach ya what you need to know, so that ya don't end up lookin' like me."

Silence reigned after those words, and everyone seemed to look away from Jiwe at that point, not knowing whether to laugh or just keep quiet.

"Hey, don't look away," Jiwe said, grinning at them, "Ya got permission to stare at me. Go on, take a good look!"

The animals stared at her once again, and the younger cubs even came closer to take a better look.

"Ya'll noticed I look kinda different, innit?" Jiwe said, "Don't be shy, c'mon, tell me, what is it that you see?"

"Your body, it has a strange shape, you kinda look lankier, like a cheetah," was the helpful comment of a lioness nearby.

"Perfect, what else?" Jiwe said, enticing them to go on, but the crowd was still very quiet.

"Ya mean there's nothin' wrong with me, other than me lookin' like a cheetah? Well, I must be quite some good lookin' babe, then!" Jiwe said, laughing brightly, making the crowd laugh along with her.

"There's a whole ton o' things that are wrong with me," Jiwe said, "Here ya go, just to mention a few. My muscles never really quite developed properly, giving me this lanky, skinny look. I was extremely thin all me life, cause I refused to eat and me stomach shrunk in size. Even nowadays I can't eat like a normal lion, cause my tummy can't handle it. And ya see these?" she said, pointing at the bald patches on her legs, "I did somethin' that irritated my skin so badly, and because I spent groomin' the irritated area so much, the hair stopped growin' at all. I thought it would grow back, but it didn't. It kinda looks like I have a bad case of the mange, innit?"

As Jiwe started pointing out all these flaws, the animals were looking more and more interested, wondering just what she had done to end up with all those issues.

"And that's just the outside," Jiwe went on, pacing to and fro as she spoke, "If ya could see my body from the inside, ya would also see a lot of damage. For example, I can't use my claws no more, cause they might look sharp to ya, but they break at the slightest touch." Jiwe then bit on one nail, clipping it effortlessly for them to see.

"Like I said, my tummy shrank, so I can't eat much, and chances are I've even busted my chance at ever havin' cubs of my own. And ya guys wanna hear the punchline? Today, I look a thousand times better than I did a coupla years ago. Hard to believe, huh?"

Jiwe was aware that she now had their full attention, and proceeded to explain what she had done to end up that way.

"Well, as the name of my mission states, I'm here to spread awareness. And how? By tellin' ya exactly what happened to me, and how come I allowed for my body to become so damaged in the process. I hope that after listenin' to what I have to say, you'll all be a lot wiser, and will know how to act if you ever end up in the same situations I did."

The animals were hanging on to her every word. Jiwe was very honest, and told them as much as she could without going into extreme detailed descriptions, to spare the cubs and pups, who despite being very young, were also listening rather intently.

When the story of her life came to an end, Jiwe let out a deep sigh and said, "If someone had told my mother about the existence of herbs and the damage they could cause, we would have probably been much better off. Only when mom found out, it was already too late, and we were both already hooked on the stuff. Neither of us was strong enough to quit then. So this is why I came here, to make you guys aware of this danger, and to let ya know that if any one of ya might have already come across these herbs, the Matumaini Pride will welcome ya with open arms to help ya recover your life and get right back on track."

Jiwe couldn't stop herself from grinning when she received a round of applause, as the animals began stomping loudly on the ground. They appreciated what Jiwe was doing, and they knew it took a lot of courage to expose oneself and one's flaws to a group of total strangers. They all thought it was very brave of Jiwe, and didn't hesitate in telling her so.

The lioness then offered to answer any questions the crowd could have. Soon enough, the enquiries began.

"We never heard of herbs before, we don't even know what they look like. How can we tell which ones are bad?" a leopard asked.

"Well, let's put it this way, ya ain't a herbivore, right? So why would ya need to go lookin' for herbs and plants in the first place?" Jiwe replied, to a chorus of chuckles, "The only plant that might affect ya if you just happen to walk by is the Catnip bush. That one's kinda innocent, in the sense that it doesn't really create any addiction, but it will render you useless for a short while, makin' ya vulnerable to any predators on the prowl. Other than that, if someone offers ya any plants, unless it's a shaman ya trust, I say, walk away and don't take 'em."

"How do you know you can't have cubs because of the herbs?" a lioness asked, cuddling her own cub protectively, looking sad for Jiwe, "I mean, there could be other reasons, right? I know of lionesses who got pregnant and lost their babies. I'm totally sure they're not using these herbs you mentioned."

Jiwe turned to look at her. "Well, in my case, it's been years since I stopped using them herbs, and I still haven't come into season, not even once. They tell me I shouldn't lose hope, but at this point I think it's pretty much a fact that my body ain't capable of bringin' new life to this place. It doesn't surprise me; I neglected my body so badly, and now I'm payin' the price."

"How do you suggest we protect our babies from these horrible gangs?" a mother hyena enquired, looking very concerned.

"We're not sure if any other gangs have popped up lately, but the Fang Gang is still at large. Their members can be recognized by the _mark of the Fang_," Jiwe said, drawing the mark in question on the ground, for them to see. "Their Bosses basically carve it with their claws into the dealer's flesh, usually on the back of the neck, or behind an ear."

Jiwe paused for a short moment, remembering the Fang mark that she received while she had been rendered unconscious during that failed party of hers. Fortunately, the wound had healed nicely and hair grew over it. Whatever scar that was left, it was nicely hidden from view.

"Teach 'em not to get lured by strangers," Jiwe went on, "especially if they're promising them something nice or tasty. And if for whatever reason they do get kidnapped and are forced to work for a dealer, they should always be on the lookout for Rangers. They are always willin' to help. I would have asked them for help myself, if the Bosses hadn't fed me all those stories about the Rangers being the _Bad Guys_. So tell your kids that the Rangers are the ones they have to trust. Also, teach 'em how to recognize the signs of an addicted animal, so that they can stay away."

A young female leopard approached Jiwe, but she didn't dare to ask anything, she just lingered nearby. Jiwe noticed her, but got distracted by another question. Jiwe continued to answer them as honestly as possible, and in the end the animals were very thankful for the information. Even the teenage lions that were making fun of her earlier approached her and expressed their admiration for having picked herself back up after all she went through.

Jiwe could tell that at least one of them was very intrigued about the herbs themselves, and that his curiosity was not geared towards staying away from them. He wanted to know if the other herbs were much stronger than Catnip. This made Jiwe think that the youngster in question already had come across a Catnip bush, and she knew better now than to disclose too much information about how 'cool' the effects of other herbs seemed to be. She simply told him and his friends, "Look, it'll be up to you guys to say 'no' if someone offers you the stuff, I'm just telling ya that coming off it is very, very hard. It ain't worth it, don't throw away what you already got in exchange for a life of addiction. I can only hope that everythin' I just said, combined with seeing firsthand what herbs can do to one's body, will leave a lasting impression on ya lot, and that you'll remember my ugly, weird looks when the time comes to be strong."

The teenagers left, looking slightly disappointed about Jiwe not telling them what the herbs looked like. She only grinned and shook her head. _Can't save em all,_ she thought, _but if I got the message across to at least one animal here, I'm happy._

Eventually, the shy leopardess finally dared to approach Jiwe.

The lioness turned to her, and smiled. "Got a question for me, babe?"

The leopardess nodded. "Yeah, er... This group you mentioned... Will they help anyone? No matter what age, species, and such?"

Jiwe closed the gap between them, trying to discretely look for any signs of addiction on the leopardess. She didn't find any, so Jiwe supposed that maybe someone in her family was in trouble. "They'll help anyone who wants to be helped, babe. They're really good at it, too. Trust me, if they could pull the likes of me back from the dead, they can pull _anyone_."

"Can I ask you something a bit more personal?" the leopardess said.

Jiwe sat down on her haunches invitingly. "Fire away."

The leopard sat down too and whispered, "If someone goes through the detox process, like you did... Do they stay clean forever? Have _you_ stayed clean? Or did you relapse?"

Jiwe scratched her head for a moment, pondering how to answer this. "Well, the detox ain't a magical cure. The recovering addicts need to be strong too, ya know? It takes one moment of weakness to send all your hard work down to the wild dogs."

"So, you _did_ relapse?" the leopardess enquired.

Jiwe looked away for a moment, clearly uncomfortable with the question, but she answered truthfully in the end. "I did, yeah. Two times, actually. Not with Oil-leaves, though, but still, I ain't proud of it, at all, yo. I was very sad and disappointed in myself. But my dear friends were there for me, and helped me out once again. And I've been clean ever since then. Two rainy seasons without even looking at a herb. I honestly think I've finally learned my lesson. The thing ya need to keep in mind is that you're never truly over it. Every day is a constant struggle, with a little sense of victory at the end of each day, when you go to sleep knowing you stayed strong."

"So you still think about herbs, then? Even after all this time?"

"Every single day," Jiwe replied without hesitation, "Not one day goes by without me thinking about them. But that's where it ends. They don't control me no more. I've taken control now. And every new dawn, I just pray to the stars that I will stay in control. That's how I get by nowadays."

The leopard smiled, and finally confided in Jiwe, "The thing is... It's my sister, she's been acting real weird lately, and when I saw the patches on your legs... She's got those patches too, and she smells strange. It all makes a lot of sense now. How I wished she was here right now! I'll have to tell her all about you, only I'm afraid I'll forget all the important bits!"

"Well, you know where to find the Matumaini Pride, if you can persuade her to come visit, I'd love to have a chat with her."

"Thank you very much, I hope I can get her to come with me somehow... See you again soon, hopefully," the leopardess replied and gave Jiwe a gentle head-butt.

Jiwe waited a considerable amount of time, in case anybody had any last-minute questions for her, but nobody else came forward. She bid the animals of the territory good-bye, and they all wished her luck in staying clean.

Jiwe turned around and left, heading towards a small hill where Zambarau would be waiting for her.

"How did it go?" Zambarau asked, looking proudly at her.

"Very well, they were all really good listeners, and we might even have someone coming to us for help, so we'll see!"

Zambarau smiled at Jiwe and patted her shoulder. "Well done. Let's go home, shall we?"

Jiwe nodded and walked along Zambarau quietly, her face frozen in a thoughtful expression. Zambarau knew it was always tough for Jiwe, going on Awareness Missions, and having to relive everything she went through, hoping to reach out to others, and have them avoid making the same mistakes she made. But Zambarau also had the feeling that these missions made her a lot stronger, reinforcing her conviction of not wanting to do herbs ever again.

It was true that Jiwe's body never fully recovered from years of herb-abuse, and the oils from the Oil-Leaf damaged the skin of her forelegs to the point that no more hair grew back, and her nails remained soft and brittle. But Jiwe had put on weight nevertheless, and her fur was well groomed and clean, and had recovered its shine.

It had been a bumpy road to where Jiwe found herself nowadays. The lioness had initially hoped that she would end up looking as good as Hanaa once she became clean, and had gotten depressed when that didn't happen, leading to the first of her relapses. Her second relapse was when she realized she would never be coming into season at all. But nowadays, Jiwe was extremely confident in her skin, enough to talk openly about it and even make jokes about her being infertile.

Jiwe had finally accepted herself and learned to live with the consequences of the mistakes she made. The lioness looked healthier and stronger than she ever did, and her good health also reflected in her good mood, warm attitude, and high spirits.

"I got a message via bird from Mwezi, while I was waiting for you," Zambarau said, distracting Jiwe from her thoughts about the leopardess and her sister, "She and the other Rangers found a wild-dog addict. He's in very bad shape, but he seems quite willing to get back on track. Mwezi asked me to warn you in advance, since it's someone you knew well from your dealer days."

Jiwe smiled broadly and whispered, "Paku... Man, I thought he'd be dead by now. Can't wait to see if I can help him the way you helped me, yo! That would be awesome."

Zambarau chuckled and switched the topic to something not herb-related. "How's Hanaa feeling? No more morning sickness?"

"Nope, that's over, and she's doin' loads better, she reckons she'll be back givin' lessons soon," Jiwe replied, "She be lookin' a lot heavier lately," she added with a chuckle, "Can't wait to see them little Hanaa's and Jiwe's runnin' about."

"Have you girls been able to keep in touch with the father?"

Jiwe shook her head. "Nah, he's long gone. But we agreed to that. I'm glad he was kind enough to help, heh. Then again, with a babe like my Hanaa, who would refuse? Now, if it had been _me_, I'd still be out there, struttin' my stuff, beggin' for some lovin'."

Zambarau laughed brightly, finding it hard to imagine Jiwe trying to lure the males in.

They both carried on chatting animatedly until they reached the Matumaini territory, where they were both welcomed warmly, and proceeded to have a quick bite, before engaging in business again.

"Shall we go meet your old dog friend, Jiwe?" Zambarau asked, once their bellies were full.

Jiwe nodded with excitement, and she followed Zambarau.

Jiwe was finally presented with the opportunity to help out a friend in need, and she was determined to give it all her best. She took a deep breath, and bravely faced this new challenge in her life.

**THE END**

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

So this was it, Jiwe's tale! Thanks to all the readers and for all the comments and reviews left either here or at Deviantart. They always made my day!

Some of you may know that Jiwe started as a roleplay character inside a prison setting, so, I might work on an alternate ending to this story (not part of the Lioness Tales series). It will be some kind of AU that would explain how Jiwe did not manage to go into rehab, and ended up in the lion prison "Gereza Kilima" instead. This prison was created by _**koai . deviantart . com. **_(Remove the spaces) Go check her comics out! Anyway, Stay tuned for this one-shot AU ending!

Also, If you enjoyed the tale, please help me increase the traffic to this site and spread the word with your friends! :D I'd really appreciate it!

So that was it for now. Signing off for now!

Until the next Tale,

Nichers


End file.
